


Another Tigre, Another Story

by JustSomeoneElse



Category: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Family, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-07-04
Packaged: 2020-04-08 06:58:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19102030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustSomeoneElse/pseuds/JustSomeoneElse
Summary: This is the story of Manny Rivera, also known as El Tigre! Or is it...? A collection of drabbles/ficlets/one-shots showing different AUs, alternate futures or simply off-the-screen scenes.





	1. Referee (ZMF AU)

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera is copyrighted by Nick, Mexopolis and its creators Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua. Any referenced works are owned by their respective creators.

"Buzz off, Zoe!"

"Why don't you make me, Fri-da?"

And there it was. Manny Rivera could only sigh at his friends. It was as if they couldn't go the week without arguing.

Honestly, Manny didn't know what was the deal with them. It was like this ever since they entered middle school. They weren't like that before were they…?

Eh, it was probably a girl thing he didn't wanna know. It was bad enough that he was the one who had to play referee and stop those two before someone got hurt. And by someone he meant him or any poor soul who dared interrupt them during a fight or just happened to get them even more peeved when they were like that.

Girls were very scary when mad. Zoe Aves and Frida Suárez combined were horrifying when angered.

Luckily for him, being their best friend since they all met in detention in kindergarten, they had a very soft spot reserved for the Rivera boy only, and that meant he was safe most of the time.

_(at least from grave injuries and a lifetime of life-threatening pranks)_

_(don't ask about the last one- Zoe and Frida had their ways, and they pulled off some seriously weird stuff from time to time)_

Despite all that, Manny mused, the three of them were all pretty good friends. Sure, they fought every now and then, mostly Frida and Zoe, but they would always be there for each other. Good, evil, whatever, they had each other's back. Heck, many times he was witness to the girls defending one another from attacks, bullies and the occasional stalkers!

_Yes_ , Manny thought to himself, _very good friends_.

The young Rivera couldn't help but notice that his two companions had piped down. Hey, maybe they settled this already and he wouldn't have to-

"Ah-ha! Take that, Aves!"

"Oh, now you've done it Suárez! Ven-detta!"

Or maybe not. Spoke too soon.

Oh well, Manny shrugged, he really wouldn't have it any other way. 


	2. Wrong and Dance (Blue Bird AU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zoe Aves couldn't care less about a stupid school dance. She only wished her best friend-slash-rival would feel the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera is copyrighted by Nick, Mexopolis and its creators Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua. Any referenced works are owned by their respective creators.

A dark-haired girl walked amongst a crowd of students before she reached the cafeteria. Zoe's stomach rumbled as she stepped in line and grabbed a tray. Disgusting as the cafeteria food was, the young villainess was very hungry and so, the food seemed almost edible today.

The young Aves made way towards her usual table. As she sat, ready to enjoy a peaceful moment at last, something collided with her table, while her poor ears were assaulted with a loud, high-pitched scream.

"ZOE!"

The bird-themed villain turned to the annoying little creature that dared interrupt her like this. "Watch where you go, Suárez! I almost dropped my lunch!"

Honestly, if it were anyone else, they'd already be toast. Suárez was, however, a friend (her best, and perhaps only, friend… not that she'd ever say that out loud). No matter how loud or vexing she could be sometimes.

The blue-haired culprit just rolled her eyes at her friend's usual grumpy self and muttered a soft "whatever"- there were more urgent things to do right now!

"Look!" Frida thrust a piece of paper right in Zoe's face. "Read it!"

The dark-haired girl snatched the offending piece of paper off her excited friend's hand, sending a glare at her before setting her eyes on the pamphlet. "What is this junk…?"

A dance. Not just any dance, it was-

"Our first school dance!" her friend's chirpy voice shouted. The goth's gaze lingered in the paper before she turned it back to her friend. She gave the blue-haired girl an unimpressed and bored stare. "So?"

"So? _So?!_ Zoe, this is our first school dance! It's really, really important! Plus, imagine how cool it's gonna be! With the monkeys and the trucks and the jetpacks..."

Zoe could only gape at Frida's rambling. Just what did the crazy girl think school dances were? "Uh, Suárez, I don't think first school dances are what you think they are," she deadpanned despite her incredulous expression.

The young Suárez' fantasy about explosions was cut short at the comment. She turned to her friend, eyes narrowed as she put her hands on her hips. "Oh, yeah? And how do you know? Have you ever been to a school dance, Aves?"

"Well, no I haven't-"

"Then how can you say what they got or don't, _hmmm_?"

The raven-haired girl furrowed her brows at Frida's stubbornness. "Because it's just common sense!" There was absolutely no way their school- or any school- would ever do anything as extravagant or extreme as what she imagined. Idiot.

The google girl gasped. "Betrayal!"

Zoe rolled her eyes at Frida's antics. Honestly, this girl sometimes…

The blue-haired girl, however, wasn't ready to give up just yet.

"C'mon, Zoe. Just give it a try, it could be fun!" Frida tried to convince her antisocial friend. "We can dance, we can get you a cool date, and the food's probably gonna suck less," the blue-eyed girl finished in a sing-song tone.

Zoe blinked at Frida's reasoning. Did she really want to go that badly? Well, the part with the party food didn't sound so bad- she heard that they actually bought edible food for the event. She wasn't much into dancing, but she could bear it, if Frida was with her… but-

"Whoa, whoa, hold on a second, Frida," she held up her hands. "' _We_ can get _me_ a cool date'?"

"Well, yeah," said the wannabe-rocker. "I mean, you go with dates to those things, right?"

"Can't we just go together to the stupid dance?"

Frida gasped. "Zoe, you can't go to a first dance with a friend date," she exclaimed, exasperated at her friend's suggestion. "It's like… the rule, or something! Besides, if we go with a friend date, we're going to look so _lame_ next to the jetpacks!"

Zoe pinched the bridge of her nose. Hand it to Frida to be stupid over something so trivial. The goth rested her hands in the table as she looked at the other girl.

"Suárez, just forget about your fantasy-land for now- they won't have jetpacks at a _school_ dance. _I_ have a jetpack. Also, since when do you care about rules, _hmm_ , little miss troublemaker?"

Frida looked at Zoe in annoyance; she knew how much she hated it when people called her that. Why did Aves have to be such a party-pooper?

"I don't, but I don't want to be made fun of for the rest of the year, you know?" she crossed her arms. "And c'mon Zoe, it could be fun going with someone else! Imagine how people are gonna look at us when we arrive with cool dates!" in her excitement, the blue-haired girl threw her hands up in the air with a big smile.

Zoe paused a little at her friend's suggestion. Yes, the prospect of having the respect of her peers, to have them staring at them in awe and envy while having the time of her life with a cool guy was, well, just too good. But there was only a tiny little flaw in this plan.

"Okay- fine, fine! Whatever, Frida," the villainess interrupted her friend, who, in her enthusiasm, had started rambling about impossible things again. When she had Frida's attention, she continued. "There's just something you seem to be forgetting."

Frida blinked at her friend. She sat in silence, waiting for her to explain what she meant.

"What ' _cool_ ' guys?"

The bird-themed villainess just stared in silence at Frida's dumbfounded expression. Honestly, she should have expected that. As fun as the thought of going with a cool date to the dance sounded, it was pretty much impossible for them. All the guys their age were losers.

"Before you try to list names and all that." Zoe said when she saw Frida open her mouth, "Just think and tell me, are they cool, or are they the least worst of the bunch? Jerks are out of question too."

Frida frowned and looked at her lap. There really wasn't anyone she would really want to go with to the dance, now that she thought about it. What a bummer.

"Can't think of anyone, huh?" the dark-haired girl rested her cheek on her fist.

The blue-haired female let out a resigned sigh. "Yeah…" her voice lacked the energy it had a few moments ago.

It seemed like she really wanted to go. Zoe didn't like the crushed look in her friend's face. The dance was really stupid and all that, but she didn't mean to ruin it for Frida; she just wanted to make sure her friend knew what it was going to be like- which was not anything remotely like her fantasy.

"Oh, cut it out, Frida," she shook the other girl out of her stupor. "C'mon, let's do something else! Something much more fun than that stupid dance!"

Frida looked up from her lap and shot Zoe a quizzical look. Then she smiled, realizing what her grumpy friend was trying to do. "What do have in mind?" she asked, a mischievous grin forming already.

"Oh, you'll see," said Zoe with a wicked smile of her own.

* * *

 

"That. Was. Awesome!" the blue-haired troublemaker screamed as she held churros in both hands.

"See, I told you I could do it," the raven-haired villainess took a bite out of her own sugary snack.

"And the look on that guard's face? Priceless!" laughed Frida.

"Better yet, he was crying for his mama by the end," Black Cuervo cackled as she grabbed the newest addition to her collection- the Golden Swan statue.

Both girls were currently sitting on a rooftop, out of the police's sight. Instead of going to the dance, Black Cuervo took Frida with her to rob the museum, watch her humiliate the guard and kick a couple of crooks' butt. Then, they made a stop at the nearest churro stand and Cuervo kindly convinced the man to give them the whole cart for free. With her lasers.

"Well, what did I tell you, Frida?"

"Okay, okay, you were right." Frida grabbed another churro. "This is much more fun than going to a school dance."

"You bet it is," the crow-themed villainess said.

"You know," she continued after a brief pause, "you kinda owe me one now, Suárez," she looked at her companion.

"Oh, really?" Frida retorted, playing along. "How so?"

"Well," drawled Zoe, "if I hadn't stopped you, you'd have probably agreed to go with some pinheaded loser to the dance in exchange of being free from homework. Like that little cowboy creep, Sergio."

"What?" the blue-eyed girl laughed and made a disgusted face, "No way!"

"Yes way, he was going to ask you, remember?"

The villainess was right. The short, freckled boy had appeared before them and read a poem to Frida, in which he proposed to do her homework until the end of high school. A tempting offer, for a professional slacker like Frida, but fortunately, Zoe was there to stop her friend from making a terrible mistake.

"Ugh, yeah, I know," Frida shuddered at the thought of going out with him. The boy seemed to have no concept of personal space.

"At least it was only him we ran into, I don't even want to imagine what the other losers would have come up with," Black Cuervo rolled her eyes at the thought. However, it seemed more likely that the other morons weren't really interested in dances in the first place.

Now that she really thought about it, she was glad that they left before any other guy found them. Most of them, she could deal with; she could be quite intimidating as Zoe Aves, despite the lack of lasers, and Frida could come up with good excuses on the spot, so rejecting them wasn't an issue.

Most of them, that is.

Zoe wondered what would have happened if Manny Rivera had asked one of them to the dance. She, of course, was no longer interested in the idiotic hero-villain-whatever the annoying Tigre was calling himself these days. She was simply too good for him. And as far as she knew, Frida wasn't really interested in him either. But El Tigre was probably the closest there was to a 'cool' guy in their grade, and that was the problem. Not to mention that Frida got along with him a few times in the past.

Black Cuervo didn't want to fight with her friend over a guy, especially for a stupid dance. But then again, Zoe would've simply rejected the stupid Rivera had he asked her to the dance. The poor fool would've been crushed, surely, but Zoe Aves was way out of his league.

That, of course, didn't happen. Because he didn't ask her. Because he was a coward.

Not that Zoe cared. She didn't. She wasn't even wondering who he settled with, since he didn't go with her (or Frida).

"Yeah, yeah," Frida said, interrupting Zoe's inner musings. "Can you imagine what Diego would've done? Or Carlito?" the wannabe-rocker laughed.

"I don't think I want to," grumbled Zoe, smiling a bit.

"We dodged a bullet there," Frida scratched her head; the wig was starting to bother her. "Thanks for not letting me drag us to the dance, Aves," she punched the other lightly in the shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, Suárez," the goth rubbed her shoulder and punched back. "Stop doing that, the wig's gonna fall off. We still need your disguise."

"There's more?" she asked as she stood up. "The night is young, Frida. Let's break into Miguel's Jewels this time, shall we?"

"Heck yeah! But can we grab more churros first?"

"Sure."

Explosions and the sound of wicked laughter could be heard as the two friends went to have more fun.


	3. Alternative Evil Ending (Evil Ending AU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, it wasn't all that bad- of the many, many clichés, it could have been worse. It could do without the tacky golden statues though.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera is copyrighted by Nick, Mexopolis and its creators Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua. Any referenced works are owned by their respective creators.

The scenery before them was something out of the movies. Buildings, houses, the streets… everything was the result of massive destruction. The cops were imprisoned, the civilians, shackled and there were no heroes nor villains in sight. It screamed "World Domination". Heck, they even had the whole "all-seeing robots searching for rebels" dystopian thing! Manny and Frida stared in awe at Miracle City's current state.

"Man, this is just like all those sci-fi movies… it's totally Alternate Universe Destruidor X stuff," said Manny.

Frida nodded absentmindedly, when something caught her attention. "Hey, what's that?"

Turning his head in the direction his friend was pointing, Manny saw what vaguely looked like giant statues. "Frida," Manny gasped, "that must be the statue of the evil overlord of this universe-slash-bad future!"

"Yeah." Frida looked at her companions. "Hey, let's take a look- if we know who's behind this, it's half the mystery solved! Then we can steal the technology they totally have and return to our time! Or something."

The other two teenagers caught quickly onto her plan. The curly-haired boy slammed his fist in his palm, "And if we know who they are, we can discover their weakness and stop them! Great idea, let's go!" The three then ran towards the giant golden "evil overlord" statue, hoping to, finally, make sense of this place.

* * *

 

Frida and Manny could only gape at the sight before them. Right there, in all it's massive gold glory, was a giant statue of both Manny and Frida holding the Earth in their hands; their faces showing gleeful grins, not unlike those they had whenever they were up to any of their mischiefs.

Frida could only mutter a soft 'uh-oh', when she noticed that their other travel companion was positively fuming at her side. Turning her head, she could see the young skeleton villain trembling with fury. She raised her hand towards him, in a half-hearted attempt to calm him down. "Uh, Django…?"

The skeleton villain swatted at the air, noticing her hand. "Seriously, Frida?! So you won't accept any of  _my_  proposals for you to my queen and rule the world with me, because that's "horrible" and I'm a "maniac", but Manny's totally fine?!" He glared at her, as he crossed his arms across his chest.

Frida could only give a sheepish smile and a shrug, in an attempt to defuse his anger. "It-it's probably not what it looks like-"

" _Really_? Because it sure looks like El Tigre managed to rule the world,  _by riding my coattails to the top_ , mind you, and that  _you,_  actually accepted to rule by his side," the undead boy responded.

"Hey, hey, that's that Frida's decision, not me," the blue-haired girl retorted as she crossed her arms as well. After a brief pause, she said, "That's why we call this alternate universe-slash-bad future, you know? Because of all the crazy stuff that would normally not happen?"

Django gave his crush an unimpressed stare. Oh, he was not convinced, not at all. He wasn't going to forget that anytime soon.  _Stupid giant statues of massive gold_.

"Hey, wait a second, what do you mean by that?"

The guitar-themed villain turned to his annoying arch-nemesis and gave him his best "I-don't-care-I'm-too-good-for-you-to-even-be-talking-to-stupid-Rivera" look.

"What do I mean by what, El Tigre?"

Manny just narrowed his eyes in irritation. "'Riding your coattails to the top'? Where did you get that stupid idea, huh?" Honestly, the curly-haired boy was offended- he could  _too_  take over Miracle City and be an evil overlord on his  _own_.

"Wow, you actually know what it means- congrats Rivera, I wasn't expecting that," the red-eyed male smirked. "Since you're obviously  _so_   _much_  smarter than I thought, why don't you try and crack the case, huh, hero?"

The so-called "hero" was this close to turning him into dust. "Are you gonna talk or do I have to make you to, you bag of bones?" the Rivera pointed to his belt buckle, more than ready to kick some undead butt.

Django rolled his eyes at the juvenile threat. "How intimidating, El Tigre. I'm  _so_  very scared- I'll tell you, don't use your kitty claws just yet," he replied, sarcasm dripping from every word.

"It's obvious that it's not really the 'future', per say- judging by the statues, I'd say that the Manny and Frida of this universe are the same age as you two. A year older, maybe, at most." Django pointed at the statues. "If we were in the 'future', we'd see statues of you two as adults, no?"

"And what does that have to do with anything," interrupted the aggravated Rivera as he crossed his arms.

" _Well,_ " scowled the skeleton teen, annoyed at the rude interruption, "what I'm  _getting_  at is that one: this is most likely an alternate universe, different from the one we're from," Django enumerated. "And two: there's  _no_   _way_  that you and Frida- no offence, mi vida," he interjected as he saw her glare, "-have managed to conquer the world at thirteen-  _on_   _your_   _own_ \- when not even me and grandmother have pulled it off yet. And we did come close to it."

"What?! Oh,  _c'mon,_ " Manny rolled his eyes.

"You think world conquest is easy, Rivera? That all it takes is pushing a button or somethin'? You watch too many movies, kiddo," said Django.

"Well, I guess it would be hard to pull it off," thought Frida out loud, "I mean, you gotta deal with a bunch of heroes, cops, not to mention the tons of villains who also want to rule the world! Heh, guess you could say there's a lot of compe…tition…" Frida's voice drifted off as her eyes widened. "Oh.  _Ohhh_."

Frida looked at Django as it dawned on her what he meant. Django nodded and smiled when he noticed it. The blue-eyed girl got it, to his surprise and delight.

"Huh?"

The undead villain could only roll his eyes at Rivera's eloquent response. Figures the feline-themed idiot could not put two-and-two together.

"A most intelligent input, El Tigre. Remind me to get a dictionary next time I speak to you, so I can understand your extensive vocabulary."

Manny growled at his enemy's insult. He grabbed his belt buckle, ready to transform into El Tigre and make the skeleton eat dirt.

Django looked at Manny's reaction with a barely contained smirk. It really wasn't the time nor a good idea to mess with El Tigre- especially since he needed the Rivera to help him find a way to get back to their original universe and time- but he couldn't help it, he really did enjoy getting under people's skin.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Frida intervened. "Stuck in the alternate universe-slash-bad future, remember? So that means, no fighting."

"Manny," Frida put a hand over Manny's own, to prevent him from spinning the buckle, "you can kick undead butt later; now, we gotta focus on getting back to our universe."

The curly-haired boy hesitated, but relented. He wasn't really happy, but his friend was right. The hero-slash-villain crossed his arms and sent his enemy a glare, before looking away.

"And you," Frida turned to the skeleton villain and sent him a glare of her own, "stop being a jerk and just get to the point!"

His smirk dropped at the girl's words. The living skeleton put his bony claws up in a mock signal of surrender. "Alright, alright."

Django put his hands behind his back. "Gathering what we've seen and my previous observations, here's the conclusion I've come to," he paused a bit, always one for dramatics and mind games, he wanted his companions to latch onto his words and tense upon the silence…or, really he just wanted to tick them off- too easy and too funny. "This… 'future' probably came to be shortly after the tournament I devised to get rid of the… competition."

The villain paced around as he continued. "It branched off from where I asked you to join us and rule the world. You accepted, and we were successful in taking over the world. Something happened to Sartana," they probably got rid of her, sent her to the moon or something after they fully took over everything and no longer needed her. That's what he'd planned to do, after all. Not that those two needed to know. "And then to me," he added reluctantly. The mere possibility of Manuel outsmarting him or defeating him permanently wasn't appealing at all. Nearly impossible, if he was honest, but it was there. "Then, you probably freed Frida, who was most likely imprisoned like many others, and…well, here we are."

Done with his explanation, the undead teen turned to Manny and Frida. The blue-haired girl had a bemused but unsurprised expression; she seemed more annoyed than anything, though, probably bothered that she probably didn't have much to do with the process of taking over the world.

Manny, however, seemed to be in shock. He hadn't moved an inch and his face had a blank expression. Django frowned and was about to ask if the cat got his tongue when, suddenly, his rival let out a loud laugh.

" _Dude,_ " Manny wheezed, "I totally kicked your and Sartana's bony butts! 'Something happened…' yeah, I took your empire from you guys and won!" he mocked the villain.

"We aren't sure of what happened, Rivera," grumbled Django. "For all we know this universe's versions of me and nana could still be around- if my theory is correct, that is." He refused to admit that Manuel had probably outsmarted them- even if he had reached the same conclusion.

"You sayin' that your own theory is faulty now? That you don't know what happened?" said Manny, amused with his enemy's sudden sour mood. "Or are just too chicken to admit that  _I_  totally stole  _your_  and your ' _nana_ 's' empire right under your undead noses, huh?"

" _Rivera_ -"

"Guess you aren't so smart after all, huh,  _Djangy-Wangy_?"

Django growled. How dare that meat-bag insult him like this! It's not like he would have gotten anywhere without him or his grandma! Actually, scratch that, they would never have conquered the world if it hadn't been for his plan!

The villain slightly flexed his claw-like hands. Oh, how he itched to give that annoying buffoon a brand new scar.

Manny was still snickering, when he noticed Django's claws reaching for his Mystic Guitar. The curly-haired teen quickly sobered at the sight and spun his belt buckle. He crouched and assumed his preferred stance, waiting for his enemy to make a move.

"Ready to eat your words, Rivera?"

"Ready to turn into dust  _again_ , bag of bones?"

Both super-powered teens stood still for a while, each measuring their adversary up with nasty glares. Time seemed to slow down. A slight breeze ruffled their clothes. It was time for an epic showdown-

"Uh, guys?!"

Just as Frida shouted, a laser beam hit the ground between them. There was a blacked, charred mark where it had hit and a small trace of smoke. Manny and Django looked up, alarmed.

Dozens of robotic floating heads that looked like El Tigre surrounded them, all with gigantic lasers prepared to fire and turn them into barbecue at any time.

"Mystical Objects detected."

"Hey, maybe it's cool. I mean, Frida and I are the rulers of this junk, right? So they won't attack us, right?" asked a very nervous El Tigre. Frida and Django only looked at him, unsure and nervous themselves.

"Identification- error. Process data. Protocol: 520. Eliminate impostors. Exterminate. Exterminate."

The robo-Tigre heads pointed their lasers at the three and began to charge.

"…Dang."

 


	4. Sibling Bonding (Age Switch AU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nothing says 'brotherly love' like butting into and mocking your sibling's love life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera is copyrighted by Nick, Mexopolis and its creators Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua. Any referenced works are owned by their respective creators.

"JOOORGEEE!"

The loud scream shook the entire house.

A young, dark-haired boy was breathing heavily, his nostrils flaring like an enraged bull. He was covered head to toe in a slimy, gooey substance he dared not think what it was. He tried to get it off his clothes, but the gooey green stuff clung stubbornly to them. He looked at himself once more and trembled with rage.

"Yes, dear brother of mine?" drawled the voice of his annoying older sibling. He came in walking as if nothing was wrong in the world. He sported an innocent, cheerful smile- as if he could be fooled by that! There was absolutely nothing innocent about the delinquent he called his brother.

Rodolfo gritted his teeth in an attempt to calm himself down. "What do you  _think_? Look at me!" he raised his arms a bit. "I'm covered in, in- whatever is this disgusting thing!"

Jorge blinked at his brother.

"Geez, bro," smiled Jorge, "you sure are in a… _sticky situation_ , ey?" The villain laughed and pointed at his brother.

Rodolfo screamed, "This isn't funny, Jorge! You- you did- I have to- and you just-" the heroic boy stammered before shouting in rage and frustration, much to his older brother's amusement. "Ugh, and where's Emiliano? I know he was in this too," he demanded.

Puma Loco gave an exaggerated and offended gasp, "My, not only you accuse  _me_  of such a thing, but Emiliano as well? You wound me, Rodolfo! We are family! Siblings! I would  _never-_!"

White Pantera rolled his eyes and gave him a glare that clearly showed he wasn't convinced by his brother's little speech. He then said, "Spare the theatrics, brother, I know it was you," Jorge opened his mouth once more but Rodolfo cut him off, "and I know that you know that I know it was you. And Emiliano. Who else would think of- of such a childish, idiotic, malicious and dirty excuse of a prank but you two?"

Jorge blinked and shrugged before he pointed to the family pets. "Señor Chapi is quite the little devil you know? And Donkey has been a little cranky lately."

The heroic Rivera narrowed his eyes and put his hands on his hips. "Did you just try to blame our  _pets_  for your crimes?"

His older brother tried- and failed miserably- to hide his smile. "They're wild ones, Rodolfo! You have no idea what they could be up to when no one's looking-"

"Neither do you."

"They could be planning revenge on those who have wronged them! Never underestimate villainous pets! Never!"

"You're the only villain here, Jorge."

"Well, Emiliano's still on the fence about that," Jorge sniffed, "no thanks to you goody-goody two-shoes nagging him all the time."

"I don't nag!" snapped Rodolfo. "It is you who's a bad influence on our baby brother! And if you must know, he does enjoy doing heroic stuff too, you know. I don't force him, unlike someone who just loooves to trick and blackmail his own family into helping him with evil-doing he can't do on his own." The heroic boy crossed his arms and stuck his tongue at his older brother.

"Oh yeah? Well, if you must know, this is what you sound like!"

The oldest Rivera son proceeded to blew raspberries and make fart noises in front of his, still covered in goo, brother.

"Very mature, Jorge," deadpanned Rodolfo, eyes half-lidded in annoyed fashion.

Jorge just continued to make loud and obnoxious noises, while he danced around Rodolfo.

"ENOUGH!" roared Rodolfo. "This is getting nowhere! Help me get this stuff off me! Where's Emiliano?! Emiliano! Emiliano!"

A blue-haired boy dressed in punk garb entered the room. "I'm here, I'm here! Geez, no need to shout! The whole building must've heard you-"

Emiliano paused mid-sentence when he saw the state his brother was in- covered head to toe with goo and trying, and failing, to get it off his face and hair. "Whoa, someone's in trouble. Did Dr. Chipotle's experiment attack you again?"

"I think you know what happened here, Emiliano," Rodolfo growled as he uselessly tried to take his shoes, which were glued to the floor thanks to the strange substance, off. He gave a startled yelp as he lost balance and fell, getting more stuck in the process.

It was then and there, when they saw Rodolfo's pitiful state, that his brothers did what any good sibling would do.

They pointed at him and started laughing like hyenas.

"Dude, that was brilliant," Emiliano managed to say between laughs.

"I know, right?!" Jorge said and gave his brother a high-five.

Rodolfo was not amused. "Quit laughing and help me get this stuff off me, you two! Now!"

His brothers exchanged amused looks. Rodolfo frowned as they looked at him with those sly, amused smirks on their faces. "What?"

"Oh, no, no, no, nothing, it's nothing," Jorge assured Rodolfo. "It's just so funny, how worked up you are over this. Why the rush? You got something to do today? I forget," he shrugged. "Do you remember, Emiliano?" he turned to his brother with that infuriating smile still on his face.

"Oh, I don't know, Jorge. Rodolfo  _always_  has something to do… Maybe it was helping the poor?" Emiliano replied, mirroring his brother's expression.

"No, no, no, that he did last week already. Maybe he's trying to impress that group of heroes again- what's their name?"

"Nah, he gets nervous when he tries to look good in front of those other hero losers, not angry. Oh, oh, maybe he's trying to impress somebody else?"

"Somebody else, why Emiliano, just who could it be- wait, I remember now! He was going to do that thing with paint and other stuff in the city; beauty-something the city…" Jorge scratched his chin in mock thought. "Beautifying the city, yes, that was it!" he snapped his fingers.

"Oh yeah, with painting and helping rebuild the old buildings of Miracle City, I remember. But all those buildings… how can he handle that all by himself? He must really be into this project!" Emiliano commented in fake awe.

"Yes, yes… but if I remember right, he wasn't gonna do all that alone…he has a partner that's probably just as into the project as he is- or so he hopes. Isn't that right, ey, Rodolfo?" Jorge asked his brother.

Rodolfo remained silent during the whole exchange, too busy trying to free himself from the goo, as his jerk brothers weren't being of any help. It didn't mean he hadn't heard their mocking speculations. He felt his face burn with each accusation, from anger or embarrassment, he didn't know, but he was sure he was redder than a ripe red jalapeño.

He wished to be rid of that annoying goo. He wished his siblings would stop grinning at him like that. He wished the ground would open up and swallow him whole.

"Haha, yes! Beautifying the city! Cleaning the streets! Making Miracle City a better place- even aesthetically! This is wonderful because I love… doing good! And that's why I love… this project so much. Yes! The project! Not anyone, no, why do you ask? Why, I'm practically doing this alone. Because I just love beautifying the city as I previously said- not my project partner, no, we're just friends, yes friends!" Rodolfo began to ramble, as he usually did whenever he got too nervous. His brothers were just waiting for this reaction. Hand it to Rodolfo to expose himself unwittingly like this- he just dug himself deeper and deeper the longer he talked. It was just a matter of time before he admitted- to them and to her- how he really felt.

Jorge and Emiliano looked at each other in silent agreement. Time to end him.

"Hmm, is that so," Jorge hummed. "Eh, I'll buy it. But you should hurry though. Unless you don't mind your  _friend_  seeing you like this. After all, she's  _just_  a  _friend_ , right?"

"Yeah, your friend should be here…" Emiliano looked at his watch, "at aaaany minute now."

Silence filled the room as Jorge and Emiliano looked at the front door. Rodolfo resumed his attempts to free himself.

"Aaany minute now," Emiliano repeated, quickly glancing at his watch before looking at the door again.

Jorge and Emiliano stared at the door. Donkey was snoring and Señor Chapi was sleeping. Rodolfo finally got up, only to pull his left leg too hard and fall on his face again. Señor Chapi muttered a quiet, "Viva pantalones" in his sleep.

"Any. Minute. Now," Emiliano half yelled at the door.

The door was unresponsive to Emiliano's imminent explosion.

The youngest of the Rivera brothers screamed. "Oh c'mon," he snapped, "how come this isn't working? It always works!"

Jorge laid a supporting hand in his brother's shoulders to calm him down. "Not like this Emiliano, not like this. The rules of comedy bend for no man."

"Isn't it 'time bends for no man'?" Emiliano looked at Jorge.

"Eh, that too," he shrugged.

Just then, the doorbell ringed. Rodolfo gave a startled yelp. The sound made him jump out of his skin- or rather, out of the goo.

Jorge and Emiliano looked up just in time to see their brother quickly bouncing off of the ceiling and the walls, like a pinball, until he went flying through the open door, towards his bedroom.

"Wow," Jorge blinked at his younger brother's speed. "He's got it bad for her, huh?"

"Pretty bad," Emiliano nodded was he walked towards the front door.

Standing there was Rodolfo's cute classmate and friend, Maria Gutierrez.

"Hey, Maria. You here to see Rodolfo?"

"Oh, hi, Emiliano, Jorge. Is Rodolfo home? We have this project-"

"Yeah, yeah, we know, he told us," Jorge interrupted her. "Come in, come in, he should be out in a second, he's just…uh, getting ready," he bit down a laugh and urged Maria to sit in their sofa.

Emiliano snickered. "Yeah, don't worry, I'll tell him you're here," he smiled, walking towards the door his brother had went through just minutes ago. "RODOLFOOO! GET YOUR BUTT HERE, MARIA IS HERE!" he turned to their guest and friend. "He'll be here in just a second," with that, Emiliano smiled and went to the kitchen.

Maria watched the boy go, a bit bewildered. She had been friends with Rodolfo and known his family for a good while now, but his brothers' attitudes never ceased to surprise her.

She turned to Jorge. "So, what were you guys doing? Were you…. fighting a monster or something?" Maria asked a bit worried.

Jorge removed his finger from his ear- man, was Emiliano loud when he wanted to. "What?" he asked confused.

The girl pointed to the gooey, green mess left in the living room.

Oh.

Uh-oh, he forgot about that. Oh well, whatever. Dad wouldn't get home until later in the afternoon and mom was only going to visit tomorrow, so he had plenty of time to fix this mess.

Or rather, make one of his brothers- or their loser friends, he wasn't picky- fix this mess for him.

"Oh, that," he said. "Don't worry, that was a…uh, a cooking experiment- gone bad. Yes, Yes! A terrible cooking experience, it was," he smiled.

"A… cooking experiment," she repeated in disbelief.

"Yes."

"A cooking experiment that smells like plastic."

"Like I told you, terrible cooking experiment."

"A cooking experiment that smells like plastic and is in living room as opposed to… the kitchen? Where you cook?"

"See, that's how bad it was, Maria. That's how bad it was…"

"But that doesn't make any sen-"

"What is that Emiliano?! You want me to help you with another cooking experiment? Well, I guess it can't be helped, as your older brother, I will help you!" Jorge shouted at the top of his lungs. He dashed through the room and went to the kitchen.

Maria blinked. She was very fond of the Rivera and had quickly come to adore them as if they were all family, in the past few years, but they could all be so weird at times.

She sighed and leaned back, patiently waiting for Rodolfo so they could start with their project. There was much to be done and the sooner they got started, the better. But Maria wasn't in a rush. Although she really did like helping others, their plan to "beautify the city" was a lot of work, so she'd enjoy sitting still for a while and take it easy while she could. Besides, it wasn't something they could get done and over with in just one day, so there was really no reason to get antsy over time and whatnot.

Maria smiled. She and Rodolfo had been planning this for a while. They already had the paint and equipment they needed, but she hoped they could get more people to help them next time. She didn't really mind doing this with Rodolfo alone, though. He was such a sweet and optimistic guy, and bouts of silliness aside, he was a hard-worker, and wouldn't let the fact that it was just the two of them today drag him down. He probably would give one of his heroic speeches to motivate her, after apologizing for being late, even if he really wasn't. Then he'd say something weird because he always got flustered when he thought he upset or caused trouble for one of his friends. Maria giggled at the thought. Rodolfo was so silly sometimes, but she thought that was kind of adorable in a way.

Suddenly, the curly-haired girl looked behind her. 'How odd,' she thought. She could've sworn that she felt something… a light breeze? No, it couldn't be, the window was shut. She frowned, trying to figure out what it was, but quickly gave up. She shrugged, it must've been the boys up to their antics again.

* * *

 

In his defense, he had panicked.

Rodolfo disliked using his powers carelessly- a hero should use his powers with responsibility and honor, always! But in this situation, how could he have  _not_?

The Rivera middle child, as much as he denied it, always made rash decisions and reckless mistakes in situations like these- when he couldn't control his emotions and he couldn't think straight.

Although it was no hard feat to fluster the bearer of the Bronze Boots of Truth, Maria was… special. There was no one who could make the optimistic young hero into a sweating, tongue-tied mess as easily, as unwittingly, but her. A smile, a look, that's all it took for his brain to shut down and his heart to race.

Not that the young White Pantera would ever admit that.

At least, not to his family, especially his brothers, who delighted in teasing him about his crush.

As if they were any better.

"Hey, hey, look who's here. That was  _fast_."

"Yeah, congrats, bro, that must've been a new record."

And speaking of the Devils…

"I'm glad you find this all so amusing," Rodolfo glared at his brothers when he heard their stifled giggles, "I will certainly remember it when I see Dora and Carmela at school."

Jorge and Emiliano stopped laughing, and for a brief moment, Rodolfo swore he saw their faces pale, before they frowned. Jorge rolled his eyes while Emiliano scoffed. "Yeah, right, as if a goody-goody two shoes like you would do anything," he heard his older brother mutter under his breath.

"But anyway," Jorge continued, suddenly jovial again, "this is not about  _us_ , it's about  _you_  and your… project- _date_ ," he and Emiliano grinned.

But Rodolfo had had enough for a day. He was going to put a stop to this  _now_.

"How insightful of you… it's good that you know that it's not about  _you_  nor about your  _entertainment_ ," he said, "because if I happen to catch you two spying on me and Maria, or trying to sabotage any of our work…"

"Or what? Are you going to get  _mad_?" Jorge teased, not afraid of what his little,  _heroic_  brother could do- revenge was so not Rodolfo's forte.

The young hero narrowed his eyes. "Yes, yes, I am, Jorge," he replied, calm and quiet. A little too calm. "Just remember that tonight is my turn to cook dinner."

Jorge's smug face fell immediately. Emiliano's jaw dropped. They had completely forgotten about that.

Now, it should be noted that a notorious good-doer, hero-worshipping, goody-goody two shoes like Rodolfo would never willingly poison his own family or make a nasty meal out of spite and revenge, even at his angriest.

Willingly that is.

To say that Rodolfo was a disaster in the kitchen whenever he got overly emotional would be an understatement.

Last time he cooked in a bad mood, he mistook sugar for salt, burned the vegetables and put a shoe instead of meat into the oven.

That was the worst shoe Jorge and Emiliano had ever tasted.

"Alright, alright! We'll leave you two lovebirds alone with your lame project," Jorge quickly retorted. He covered Emiliano's mouth when he tried to speak and glared at him. "Totally," Jorge smiled.

Rodolfo just stared at his siblings, unconvinced, before relenting. "Very well then, see you two later. Oh, and clean up the mess in the living room. That  _you_   _two_  made."

The young White Pantera made his leave. Jorge and Emiliano could hear him greeting and apologizing to his friend and Maria's soft giggles from where they stood in the kitchen. After a short friendly banter (flirting, they would insist), they heard their brother and his lady friend leave, with the soft  _click_  of the door closing.

Jorge and Emiliano stared at the door in silence.

"We're going to follow them, aren't we?"

"Heck yeah."

One more horrible dinner was nothing, when they had the perfect opportunity to gather blackmail, right then and there. They could handle another nasty shoe. It would be worth it.

Moments later, the two troublemaking teens were hiding behind a nearby building, spying on Rodolfo and Maria. Finally, now was the time to gather embarrassing footage of their goofy brother making a fool out of himself in front of his crush, and blackmail him into doing their chores and homework for them for the rest of the year!

…..was what they'd have liked to say.

It wasn't like Rodolfo hadn't done anything embarrassing- the boy could be a walking disaster waiting to happen when it came to Maria. Even now, he was saying something so utterly dorky and sappy they could have gagged.

But there was something about him blissfully grinning from ear to ear and Maria's delighted giggles, like there was no one else in the world, like there was no happier time than when they were together that just…

They couldn't do it. There things there were just too sappy to make fun of.

They wanted embarrassing but this was just… cute. Too cute. Ugh.

Jorge and Emiliano looked at each other in silent agreement. They should go back for today.

"Eh, seems like Romeo over there is doing just fine. Let's go, Emiliano."

"Yeah… hopefully he doesn't screw up too much this time… Oh, who am I kidding? This is Rodolfo we're talking about."

"True," Jorge laughed. "But then again, it is Maria who's with him…. He'll be fine."

"He will," Emiliano agreed. "Maybe you should take tips from him. Maybe then you'll finally figure things out between you and Dora. And Pachita. And Sartana. But mainly Dora."

"Oh, haha, very funny Emiliano. Maybe one day you'll be as clever and eloquent in front of Carmela."

Emiliano promptly flushed at his brother's comment. "I- I don't know what you're talking about."

"Suuure you don't. By the way, we still got to clean up that mess back home."

"Uugh, don't remind me."

"We'll decide this matter like the mature man we are…" Jorge smacked his brother in the shoulder and started to run, "Not it!"

"Hey, heeey! No fair, Jorge, get back here! It was your idea in the first place! You clean it!" Emiliano clutched his shoulder before running after his brother.

"Villain code, dude, it's every man for himself!"

"JOOOORGEEE!"

* * *

 

**Bonus scene**

Dentist appointments were incredibly, utterly boring, Tito decided.

Tito Torres wasn't usually one to complain about life. He was often a cheerful, optimistic boy who preferred to look at the bright side of life.

For example, why angst about that freaky accident at that old factory and the fact that he couldn't go near magnets anymore, when he got two super awesome, crime-fighting liquid metal arms?

Yes, Tito was a happy, carefree boy, most of the time.

But today, of all days, he had to go to the dentist.

(And why, he had to wonder, braces were  _lame_. It's not like he needed one anyways.)

Today, when his best friend and idol, Rodolfo Rivera aka White Pantera would initiate his project to beautify Miracle City and its old, wasted, ugly buildings! Oh, how noble he was, to dedicate his free time to help better the city! Truly, he was meant to be a great hero, he just knew it.

Oh, and there was Maria too or whatever.

Well, if Tito was honest with himself, he found the whole idea a little… lame. And boring. They were aspiring heroes, after all, destined for greatness and stuff! They'd never show those other heroes what they were made of, they'd never impress them or make a mark by… painting a few old buildings. They needed to act! They needed to kick big-name villains' butts and rescue helpless, cute girls, not… measly voluntary work that'd be meaningless since they were in  _Miracle City_. Those buildings would either be destroyed or covered in graffiti by next week.

Nevertheless, Rodolfo was his precious, precious best friend and so, what was important to Rodolfo, was important to him as well.

Tito sighed, oh how he wished he could be there with him. If only he knew where he was…

His inner melancholic thoughts were interrupted when he felt something smack against him. He landed on his back on the hard concrete.

The short boy rubbed his head as he sat up. Who was the blind jerk that…

"Ow, look at where you're going you- oh, it's you."

Tito looked up and saw Rodolfo two brothers, Jorge and Emiliano.

White Pantera's self-proclaimed sidekick and number one fan wasn't too familiar with his idols family, not on a personal level at least, but didn't have enough of an interest to try, seeing as one was a no good, bully of a villain and the other, a troublemaking punk with weird hair.

But still, they were his family, maybe they knew where Rodolfo was!

"Oh, hello, Rivera and… Rivera. My bad, I didn't see you there," he forced a friendly chuckle. "Say, since you're here, do you happen to know where Rodolfo is?" he asked.

Jorge and Emiliano looked at each other, already in another one of their silent, telepathic sibling talks.

Tito Torres was a persistent little creep that clung to their brother like glue. Sure, the boy had never done anything bad, but he was incredibly annoying and never seemed to get the hint. Why Rodolfo was friends with him was something neither Jorge nor Emiliano could understand. Not to mention, he was a major cockblock and third-wheel.

No doubt he'd ruin whatever good mood Maria and Rodolfo had going on at the moment with his fanboyness.

That, they couldn't allow. Because the only ones allowed to mess with Rodolfo's love life… were them.

Luckily, Tito was almost as much of goody-goody two shoes as Rodolfo and quite gullible.

Yes… they could work with that.

Jorge and Emiliano smirked. Rodolfo's little sidekick was more useful than they initially thought.

"Dunno," Emiliano shrugged. "He didn't tell us exactly where he'd go. Just that he had this thing he had to do today."

"Yes, the 'Beautify Miracle City' project, I know!" Tito said. "I just… I had to go to the dentist today and I couldn't go with him… but if I hurry I can still help him, I know it!"

"Wow, wow, easy there. You're not gonna rush to him after just coming from the dentist, are you? You know Rodolfo, the worrywart, he'll feel just so guilty and worried if you go that far for him." Emiliano said.

Tito's shoulders sagged. They were right.

"Yes, but don't worry," Jorge said. "You can still be of use to him. Be a good sidekick. Why don't you come with us and help us clean our home?"

Tito frowned. "How is that a sidekick's job?"

"Don't you know?" Jorge feigned surprise. "It's good exercise for heroes. Ancient method created by some of the first heroes. Besides, it''s good training for beautifying the city and whatnot, no?"

Tito gasped. They were right! How could he be so stupid? The important thing was, he'd help Rodolfo, no matter what! "Then let's go! That mess won't clean itself, will it?" and with that, the aspiring hero started running in the direction of the Rivera house.

Jorge chuckled under his breath and Emiliano smirked.

Too easy.


	5. Of Tigers and Crows (Zanny Friends AU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of those days, Zoe's family would really kill him, Manny decided.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera is copyrighted by Nick, Mexopolis and its creators Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua. Any referenced works are owned by their respective creators.

Manny Rivera had never felt something like this before.

He, a brave Rivera man, the proud son of the heroic White Pantera, grandson of the villainous Puma Loco and inheritor of the powerful El Tigre Belt, was absolutely no coward. He never backed down from a fight or a challenge, no matter how dangerous or stupid it may be.

But the truth to be told, he was just a simple boy who had yet to decide what path to take, what to become in the future...

And yet, as fate would have it, it seemed like his short life was about to come to an end.

Worse yet, the one to bring him to death's embrace was none other than his best friend!

Oh, the betra-

"Could you walk any  _slower_ , Rivera?"

Oh, the betrayal-

"And stop with the monologue already! It's annoying! Quit being so overly dramatic!"

Manny glared at his friend. "You're one to talk, Zoe." Manny picked up his pace to walk beside her, "And I have every reason to complain-  _you're_  the one throwing me at the lions after all."

Zoe rolled her eyes. "First, your family's the one with feline names, and second, you've been to my house before, drama queen."

"Well, yeah," Manny frowned, "but your mom always looks like she wants to kill me. Painfully. With poison. And your grandma, like she wants to cut me into pieces and serve me for dinner." Manny paused and exclaimed, "And I don't even know why!"

"They really hate you," Zoe sighed. "But must you do that every time you come over? It's been, what eight, nine years? I figured you wouldn't be scared anymore by now."

"What's with the happy sigh?" Manny narrowed his eyes at his companion. "And I'm  _not_  scared!" he snapped, "I'm just... cautious. As always."

"Cautious. Suuuure," Zoe rolled her eyes. "And it's not happy sigh, it's a... 'kind of content in rebelling against my family' sigh."

Manny just stared at the dark-haired girl. "...O-k. Weirdo. Glad that your family trying to kill me amuses you."

Zoe punched him in the shoulder. "It does not, quit twisting my words, Manny." Then, she smirked, "Maybe I'm just amused that one of the super-macho Riveras is being such a... chicken."

"Chicken?!" Manny yelled and clenched his fists. "I will show you chicken! I'll go to your house and impress your family so hard they'll want me to stay forever! I'll go and sweep them off their feet! THIS, I, SWEAR!" Manny declared and dashed ahead, missing how Zoe's eyes widened at his bold words.

The young villainess stared at his running figure for a few moments. Did he realize what he just said...?

She blushed crimson, many scenarios of Manny 'staying forever' running through her head, of her and her best friend being blissfully married. The black-haired villainess doubted he actually meant anything like that, but a girl could dream, no?

Shaking her head to clear her mind, Zoe ran to catch up with her stupid friend.

Lately, she'd started to see Manny in a different light. They'd been friends since they were babies, practically growing up together- they knew each other better than anyone and they were as close as family, maybe even closer.

Manny was a welcome escape from her nagging family- he stood up for her when they got too overbearing and always listened to her. He was the best friend she ever had.

But lately, it seemed like it wasn't enough. She felt this want, need to get closer to him from time to time. Not to mention this weird feeling she had whenever he talked to that Suárez chick in the hallways or tried to impress other girls.

Zoe Aves had fallen for her best friend.

She could already hear her mom and grandmom freaking out over her feelings. 'He's a Rivera!' they'd say, 'He's going to break your heart!' they'd say.

They might actually try to kill him this time, Zoe mused.

"Uh, Zoe?"

Manny's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Zoe blinked and looked at Manny. He nodded at the door.

Oh, right.

Zoe opened the door. She and Manny started walking towards her room.

"Wait a second, Rivera."

Manny cringed at the harsh, but feminine voice. He slowly turned around and looked up.

A tall, intimidating woman stood in the living room, her hands on her hips and a mean scowl on her face. She glared at Manny with her hawk-like sharp eyes.

There she was, Carmelita Aves, one of the most intimidating teachers to work at Leone School.

Manny gulped. That lady had it out for him, he was sure. Whether it was in art class, where she loved to give him (well, and the other students, but mainly him) a hard time, or when he came over for a school project, a sleepover or simply to hang out with Zoe and she just glared at him at the whole, Manny feared for his life whenever he was in the same room as this woman.

"Oh, hello there, Ms. Aves. Lovely day, no?" Manny laughed nervously.

Carmelita narrowed her eyes at the Rivera boy. "You are here for the science project, no?"

"Uh, yeah, me and Zoe are gonna wait for our other-"

"I don't want to know. Only know this Rivera, if you hold back my daughter or hurt her... You. Will. Pay. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am-"

Carmelita turned and walked away before he could finish.

Relieved that her daily threats were over, Manny sighed and turned to Zoe. "Oh, wipe that smirk off your face, Zoe."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Now, let's go upstairs."

"Well, we still gotta wait for Frida to arrive. Soo, let's just relax a bit."

Zoe frowned. She didn't like that it wasn't going to be just the two of them. "Why do we have to do this with her?"

"'Cause the project's for groups of three and there was no one else left to partner with us, remember?"

Zoe just grumbled under her breath.

Sensing the girl's bad mood, Manny held up two controllers, "Weeell, since she isn't here yet, how about we play some videogames?"

The dark-haired girl smirked and took one of the controllers, "Hope you're ready to get your butt kicked, Manny."

"You're on,  _chica_!"

Zoe dreamed of day she'd be able to tell her friend how she really felt.

"Hey, quit using that combo! That's cheating!"

But for now, this was enough.


	6. El Tigre vs The World (Parody AU I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Well, if you wanna date me, I guess you'll have to defeat my six evil exes." And thus began Manny Rivera's quest to date the girl of his dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera is copyrighted by Nick, Mexopolis and its creators Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua. Any referenced works are owned by their respective creators.

Last night, Manny Rivera met the girl of his dreams.

Manny had just moved back to his hometown, Miracle City, a few years ago. When he was little, around four or five years old, his parents decided that Miracle City wasn't a safe place to raise a child. They moved away to a city that wasn't infested with so much crime and villainy.

First, they lived in Shogun City for a few years. Manny's mother, Maria, was overcome with joy with the place- never had she seen such a peaceful and polite town before. His father held a similar passion and admiration for the city and his friend's hand in making such a safe city possible. Life was good for a few years- Rodolfo liked being near his old friend, the Seventh Samurai, and Manny got along with his kid, Toshiro.

However, Rodolfo soon began to feel guilty for leaving Miracle City when it needed him most. Manny's parents soon began to argue about what was better- should they return to Miracle City and endanger their kid just so White Pantera could try to save it? Should they stay cocooned in Shogun City, safe and sound, ignoring that the world needed heroes like White Pantera? After many fights and the threat of divorce lurking, Maria and Rodolfo agreed to compromise. They'd move to another city, one where Rodolfo could act as a semi-retired super-hero, on the condition that it couldn't be as dangerous as Miracle City.

Fast forward a few years more. Manny soon began to help his father by becoming El Tigre. He learned how to fight all sorts of villains and became a well-known hero in his town. Well, anti-hero, since he, according to his villainous Grandpapi, 'had the claws of a villain', but the 'heart of a hero', as his father would always counter.

Manny stayed there, had his fun, dated a while and then, before he knew it, he was already in college and in another town. During his teenage years though, Manny had often wondered- what happened to Miracle City, in all those years he and his family were away? Filled with determination, Manny decided to move there as soon as he graduated college.

And so he did. Miracle City had a new hero, the super-amazing, super-macho El Tigre! He had his work cut out for him though- it was no wonder they called the place a 'spicy cesspool'.

Manny became so busy with his super-hero work- even with the help of his fellow heroes, like his childhood friend, Cyber Sumo aka Toshiro, or Albino Burrito aka Davi, the comic book aficionado and the first friend he made when he first moved to Miracle City- that, for the first two years, he'd had practically no time to rest. He'd decided it was overdue he had some fun and so, for the last few weeks, he'd hit some bars and clubs, hoping to get back into the dating scene.

And that's how he met her.

Manny had never seen her around town before, so he'd assumed she was just a tourist. A pretty face, a petite figure and strikingly blue-hair, she'd stood out to him in that crowded bar, looking bored and lonely.

That was, until some jerk started bothering her, offering to buy her a drink and insisting she go out with him, even when she'd made it clear that she wasn't interested and asked him to leave her alone. The drunk man, not taking it well, lunged at her, going for the kill. Seeing this, Manny was ready to transform and kick that jerk's butt, when suddenly…

The girl, who had seen the attack coming from miles away, swiftly dodged and stuck out her foot, making the man trip. Before he hit the ground, she grabbed him by the arm and spun him around a few times. She quickly let him go, sending him flying into a group of tough-looking bikers.

The bikers promptly punched the guy and pushed him into another group of tough-looking, dangerous men. Manny stood there speechless for a few seconds- both at the girl's moves and how quickly the situation had escalated into a bar brawl, with everyone taking a swing at each other. But he promptly dived into action as well, determined to help the mysterious blue-haired girl. The two fought back-to-back for a while, before escaping amid the chaos and leaving the thugs fighting each other. The two run as fast as they could, laughing all the way to the park.

They plopped down on one of the old benches, out of breath. Once they calmed down, they looked at each other, only to start laughing again. Amazingly enough, they managed to introduce themselves through their chortles.

"I'm Manny," he said, offering his hand.

"Frida," she gave him a handshake.

The night was still young. They talked for hours- about the incident at the bar, about themselves, about the city.

He was surprised to find out she also was from Miracle City. Her father, she told him, used to be the chief of Miracle City's Police Department and her mother, a judge. She grew up in Miracle City getting into all sorts of trouble and rebelling against her family. She stayed in Miracle City until her High School graduation. Then, she spent a while traveling before attending college in a far away city.

Frida had been feeling a little homesick, however. She'd heard from her older sisters about their new positons in Miracle City's Police Force and decided to visit and stay for a while.

Manny told her about himself- about El Tigre, why his family left Miracle City and why he came back.

"Wow, a super-hero, huh?" Frida smiled. "No wonder you beat those guys so easily."

"Anti-hero," he corrected. "But, to be honest, I've always kinda been… undecided."

"Undecided?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah," he nodded. "When we moved to the other city- Paz City, it was called- my Grandpapi moved in with us, saying that Miracle City wasn't the same anymore or how there was no thrill when there weren't any heroes good enough to catch him or challenge him. So he taught me a bunch of stuff about villainy. My dad and my mom weren't happy with that. Dad and Grandpapi used to argue a lot about what I was gonna be- a hero or a villain. I often went out doing both, depending on who I was helping at the moment."

"Huh," she said. "Sounds tough."

"Not really," he shrugged. "That sort of stuff was how we spent time together- family fun and all that."

"Not that," she rolled her eyes. "The whole 'argue about your destiny or whatever' thing. But in the end you decided to be a hero, no?"

"Well," Manny hesitated.

"Well?" Frida cocked an eyebrow.

Manny sighed. "I guess I kinda did decide to be a hero. It's just… sometimes I miss doing villain stuff like I did with my Grandpapi, you know? Just a little."

"Oh," realization dawned on Frida. "So tonight, at the bar…"

"Yup," Manny said. "Sometimes I just gotta let off some steam, you know? I mean, I would never commit crimes now that I'm a hero but…"

Frida laughed. "I get it. Sometimes you just gotta go with the flow."

"Besides," she smirked. "A little bit of mischief and danger now and then never hurt anyone."

"Oh?" his interest was piqued. "What kind of mischief are we talking about?"

"Oh, you know," she shrugged.

"Do I?" he smiled and cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Well, if you're looking for a little harmless fun," she smiled, "we could meet again and I could show you the stuff I used to pull off back when I was a kid. You ever used a volcano to skate before, Manny?"

"I don't think I have," he laughed.

"Well, if you're not too chicken we can start with that," she teased.

"Is that a challenge?" he asked, all too amused by her eccentricity. "'Cause no one calls a Rivera a coward and escapes unscathed."

"Oooh, scary man," Frida joked.

"I'm serious! Are  _you_ , little miss troublemaker?" Manny teased back. "If you are, meet me here, in this park, tomorrow noon. I'll treat you to the best food you've ever had, then we'll do the volcano thing."

"Guess I'll have pollo for lunch tomorrow," she laughed. "See you then, El Tigre!" Frida turned and walked away, giving Manny a light wave.

"You bet!" he yelled back once she reached the park's gates. "…Frida," he sighed happily.

* * *

 

They met again and had lunch together, just as promised. Manny prepared his father's famous 'Pollo en Miracle City Mole' for him and Frida. She laughed in disbelief and delight when she saw the dish. He was a surprisingly good cook, she told him. After their meal, Frida dragged him to Miracle City's junkyard. She told him to grab anything they could make roller-skates with. Once they were done, they went to the Miracle City Volcano.

Manny thought they wouldn't survive.

It was the most stupid, most amazing thing he had ever done in his life.

Before they knew it, the day was over, much to Manny's dismay. But that wasn't the last time they met each other. They had another date the next day, and the next, and the next… it was the happiest, craziest week in Manny's life.

Manny really liked Frida. Even though it had only been a week, he felt they had a connection unlike any other.

So far, they'd only flirted a little in their casual dates, nothing really serious or too romantic. Manny wanted to change that. He wanted something more- he wanted them to actually start dating, he wanted a serious relationship with her.

However, there was a problem. Frida's stay in Miracle City was temporary. Manny had to convince her, somehow, to stay longer.

He decided- he would tell her how he felt today and ask her to stay with him. He would accept no excuses- every time he tried to talk to her about it she avoided the subject. Today he would ask her directly. If she didn't feel the same, he would let her go and end it now. If she did feel the same, however…

It was worth a try.

Manny asked to meet her at the park, at the same spot they first met. He was the first to arrive as usual. He mentally went through everything he wanted to say and took a deep breath. He had to calm down.

"Hey, Manny."

Frida's greeting took him by surprise. She arrived much earlier than he expected. Manny turned around. "Frida," he waved then patted the spot next to him.

She sat down. "So, why'd you call me here?"

"Well, I… you see Frida, I was thinking and, uh…" Manny struggled to look for the right words. He sighed. "Look, I really had a great time this week. And I really, really like you Frida. A lot," he looked at her.

Frida looked a bit nervous. "Geez, why so serious, Manny? Look, how about we-"

"And I was hoping to get to know you better," he cut her off, not letting her avoid the conversation this time. "Not that I don't have fun with you, it's just… how about you stay here with me Frida? At least for a while?"

Frida looked at everywhere but him. "I- well, I… you see, Manny-"she stammered, trying to think of a way to escape the awkward situation.

"How do you feel about me, Frida?" he asked.

"I-I…"she sighed. "I… like you too, Manny. I really do like you- a lot," she admitted. "It's just…"she bit her lip, unsure if she should just tell him the truth or not.

"Just…what?" he frowned. "Frida, what's wrong? I mean, if we both feel the same way…"

Frida sighed. "Well, if you wanna date me, I guess you'll have to defeat my six evil exes."

Manny blinked. "I have to what your who now?"

Frida scowled. "My six evil exes. I don't know the details, but I think they formed an evil league or something- dedicated to ruin my future love life. Revenge and all that."

Manny stared at her for a while before he burst laughing. "That was a good one Frida, you almost got me there!" he clutched his stomach and wiped a tear. When he look up, however, the blue-haired girl wasn't smiling. "Uh… Frida?"

Frida just stared at him, uncharacteristically serious.

Manny sobered up. "You're… you're serious?"

She slowly nodded.

"I have to fight your… six evil ex-boyfriends-"

"Exes," she corrected.

"So I can date you?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Manny blinked. "And how-"

_BOOM!_

"Help! Help! My store's been robbed!"

"A-hahaha! You'll never catch me, mang!"

Manny sighed. Of course El Oso had choose now to rob Miguel's Jewelry, of course.

Manny held up a finger, "One second."

He spun his belt buckle and transformed into El Tigre. "We'll talk about this later, ok?" he told Frida and activated his grappling claws to reach the hairy criminal. Frida just gave him thumbs up in response.

Frida watched him leap into action. She hoped he knew what he was getting himself into, because from now on, things were about to get… complicated.

Frida sighed.

"I really need some churros."


	7. Reverse(Alignment Switch AU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cuervo just wanted a break already- this was not what she signed up for when she became a hero. Meanwhile, El Tigre and the others villains seize the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera is copyrighted by Nick, Mexopolis and its creators Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua. Any referenced works are owned by their respective creators.

"Why can't you take a hint, El Tigre? I'm. Not. Interested!" La Cuervo swung another fist at the feline-themed villain.

"Oh, don't be like that, Cuervita. You won't know until you try," El Tigre dodged the girl's attacks and jumped back. "You know what they say, villains have more fun," he launched one of his grappling claws at her.

"Oh, I'll have plenty of fun El Tigre... seeing you rot in jail!" Cuervo grabbed the claw just before it reached her and swung the villain around. She released her grip with a smirk, sending El Tigre crashing into one of the buildings. "What? No witty comeback this time, El Tigre?" she flew towards the hole left by the impact.

She looked into the hole, trying to find El Tigre in the debris.

"No."

Cuervo turned to her left, only to be met with his fist.

"Just a comeback," he said.

Cuervo went crashing into the opposite building. Momentarily dizzy from the attack, she only heard a faint, " _Adiós, Cuervita!_ " followed by laughter. She quickly flew back to where El Tigre had been, still recovering from the impact, only to find that the fiend had already escaped...  _with_  the Golden León statue.

Cuervo growned. She couldn't believe she had actually lost and let El Tigre escape...

Again.

She sighed. She would have to report this to her family... she could already hear their nagging.

And her colleagues would probably tease her again. They would say, "You really are a cat person!" or "Stop making out with your enemies, Cuervo!"- something like that.

It was always something like that.

Well, on the bright side, things couldn't get much worse, right?

Her helmet's visor cracked.

Cuervo facepalmed.

* * *

 

"So... El Tigre has the Golden León statue you say?"

"...yes?"

"Wow, how many times has he won this month?"

Cuervo growled.

"And how many times was it against you?"

Cuervo growled again.

"And how did your mom react?"

Cuervo grunted.

"You know I don't speak 'Cuervo', Zoe. Translation, please."

"Oh, shut up, Sofia."

Zoe Aves glared daggers at the other girl. Sofia could be so annoying sometimes- no, scratch that, she was annoying all the time. Right now, she was just being unbeareable.

Sometimes Zoe wondered why she even hung out with her. The hair-controlling heroine and former star of the Junior Police Cadets was so different from her that it was a wonder they even became friends.

"So, I've been on a slump lately- happens to anyone," Zoe retorted. "I'll soon get my game back and kick that arrogant jerk's butt. No big deal."

"Uh-huh," Sofia muttered while looking at a magazine. "Hey, are you free later today?"

"Me and the Flock of Justice were going study El Tigre's previous crimes to see if we can find a pattern and predict where he'll strike next," Zoe said. "But Mom and Grandmami had trouble with Black Pantera and Plata Poderosa today. We'll have to wait for our costumes and lasers to get repaired too, so we'll probably just rest tonight. Why?"

"Oh, nothing," shrugged Sofia. "I just wanted to hang out... maybe see some of the other guys... You know, we're all heroes! We should like, meet just to hang out more- the only time everyone's in the same room is for ' hero-work' stuff," Sofia said.

Zoe stared at Sofia for a few seconds, before realizing the girl's plan. "Oh no, Sofia! I am  _not_  going with you just so I can be your  _wingwoman_. Go flirt with that cactus boy of yours by yourself!"

"Oh please," begged Sofia. "I always end up scaring off guys- for some reason. I don't wanna ruin things with my Billy-Winny!"

"I don't care! Ask the other guys for help!" snapped Zoe. "Besides, aren't you guys close already? Why are you so nervous?"

"It's different, Zoe! The leap from 'just friends' to 'boyfriend and girlfriend' is a huge, but delicate one. I can't just tell him like I usually would-"

"By screaming in his face?"

"I have to make sure he's into me too!" exclaimed Sofia. "And you know I can't ask for those guys for help, they're  _guys_. Besides, you know I'm not that close to Dr. Chipotle or Señor Justicero. And Django and Che sorta give me the creeps, so..."

Zoe sighed in irritation, "For the last time, Sofia, they're not gonna eat your brain."

Sofia ignored Zoe. "And you know," she gave her a sly smile, "maybe, you'll get with someone too."

Zoe huffed. "With who? One of those losers? Thanks but no thanks. Not. Interested." Zoe returned to her magazine.

"Oh yeah, I forgot- you're into villains!" Sofia snorted and let out her atrociously ugly guffaw.

Zoe jumped out of her seat, "Excuse me?!"

"Yeah, you know, with El Tigre, and the guy of the Vulture Twins, and-"

"It's not like that! They're the ones who like to bug me, not the other way around-!"

"Ooh, or is it that boy at school- the librarian's son. What was his name again?"

"I don't-"

Sofia ignored her again. "Oh, Zoe-Woey is so cute-wute when she's in denial," Sofia pinched Zoe's cheek. "Now quit playing hard to get  _and help me with my **one true love**_!" Sofia rapidly changed moods and screeched at Zoe, easily lifting her from the ground by her collar.

Zoe's eyes widened at her friend's behavior. Sofia switched moods faster than criminal running from the police.

 _Beep_!  _Beep_!  _Beep_!

Zoe looked at her wrist- it was her communicator. Some villain must be causing trouble somewhere!

She detangled herself from Sofia's grip and landed on the ground. "Let's see, where is this coming from...?" Pressing a button on her communicator, Zoe saw the coordinates but found herself slightly disappointed. There was a robbery at Miracle City's Museum, but the thief took the Sapphire Mule of Wisdom. An equine-themed artifact was taken. That was Black Horse's modus operandi.

No rematch for La Cuervo this time then.

"Hey, Sofia," said Zoe. "Seems like you'll be meeting your boyfriend after all."

Sofia looked over Zoe's shoulder to see what she meant. She gasped. "This is perfect!" She squealed. "Let's go see my man in action!"

Zoe raised an eyebrow. "Don't you mean, help him?"

Sofia smiled. "I'm sure he won't need it, but I'll always help my Billy-Winny," she cooed. "If any stupid villain thinks they can harm my Billy-Winny, they'll see what I'm capable of!" she screamed at the ceiling, ignoring Zoe's incredulous look. Sofia grabbed Zoe and dragged her outside, "C'mon, let's go!"

"Wait, Sofia, what are doing?! That's the window, are you out of- let me change into my Cuervo suit fiiiirst-!"

* * *

 

La Cuervo and Miss Capelli were barely out of Sofia's room, when they heard an explosion in the distance.

"It's near. It must have been one of Black Horse's Piñatas of Doom!" Cuervo paused before facepalming. "I can't believe what I just said," she muttered. "A villain that uses exploding piñatas, that's so- that's so  _dumb_!"

"Those things are surprisingly powerful," Miss Capelli commented. Cuervo sighed, Sofia was right, but that only made it worse in Cuervo's opinion.

"Look," Miss Capelli pointed.

Cuervo looked ahead, there was tons of smoke coming from the nearby buildings. They must be closer-!

"Nice try hero! But you are no way of stopping my wicked plan!" clamored a voice. "Black Horse!  _Black Horse_! Black Horse, Black Horse-!

Yeah, they found him.

'What kind of villain sang their own theme song in front of their enemies?', Cuervo wondered everytime she faced the young, overly excited villain. Still, it was very fortunate for them, because that meant they could find Black Horse very easily.

Cuervo and Miss Capelli spotted Cactus Kid raising a field of cacti to trap Black Horse in and prevent his escape.

"Hi, Billy!" Miss Capelli waved.

Cuervo nodded. "What's the situation?"

"Hey girls, nice seein' you two here," Cactus Kid greeted as they landed beside him. "You arrived just in time, the fiend has the statue but he's full of those darn piñatas of his- I could use a hand or two."

As if on cue, Black Horse threw five tiny-sized piñatas at the three heroes.

Cuervo flew and caught three of them mid-air, throwing them as high as she could into the sky, while Miss Capelli whipped her hair and Cactus Kid shot his cacti needles to hit the remaining piñatas before they reached them.

Cuervo instinctively closed one eye and covered her face with one arm when the piñatas exploded. They weren't as powerful as the normal sized ones, but the explosion was still quite intense.

Cuervo really didn't like to admit it, but the silly and seemingly childish villain was not only good, but had the potential to be a threat if he ever got serious. Thank goodness he was such a goofball and liked taking tips from cheesy, old-timey comic books, or else they would've been in a lot of trouble.

Black Horse looked left and right franctically, before turning to the heroes. He was cornered.

"Seems like you're finally out of piñatas," Cactus Kid said. "It's time to put a stop to your  _foal_  plans," he shook his fist.

Cuervo facepalmed. Talking about cheese...

It was no wonder those two were 'arch-nemesis'. They were on the same page when it came to superheroes and supervillains.

"Now face my," Cactus Kid aimed his right hand at him, "Cactus Justicatus!"

Cactus Kid shot a stream of cacti needles at the villain, pinning him to the nearest all with them.

"Yes! We did it!" Miss Capelli cheered. "Way to go, Billy!"

Cactus Kid blushed from Sofia's praise. "Aw, shucks... Thanks, Sofia," he rubbed the back of his head and smiled bashfully.

Cuervo rolled her eyes at the two flirting. "Yeah, yeah, enough with the mushiness already. We gotta get this guy to the police station and return the statue," she said, walking towards the little villain.

Cuervo grabbed the Sapphire Mule of Wisdom, then turned to Miss Capelli and Cactus Kid. "You two take horse boy to the police, while I return this to where it belongs," she held up the artifact.

The black-haired heroine winked at Sofia before taking flight. She chuckled under her breath when she saw the hair-controlling heroine give a silent squeal. Zoe hoped this would be enough for the crazy girl and she would leave her alone about acting as her wingwoman- at least for the time being.

* * *

 

La Cuervo quickly arrived at the museum, ready to finish her job and call it a day, when a familiar voice called out to her.

"Hey, Cuervita!"

Cuervo whipped her head towards the voice. Only one person called her that.

El Tigre snatched the artifact from her hands quicker than she could react. Using his grappling claws, El Tigre landed on top of a lamp post and turned to the bird-themed heroine. "Hola again, señorita. Didn't expect to see you again so soon," he smiled.

Cuervo growled. "To soon if you ask me," she glared at her enemy. "What are you doing here, El Tigre? First Black Horse, now you?" she asked him, curious as to what El Tigre was doing here when he already had stolen the Golden León statue earlier.

El Tigre opened his mouth to retort, when both heard multiple explosions and the sound of buildings crumbling coming from various different directions.

Cuervo looked around, perplexed. "What the- what's with all the villains? Today isn't even Miracle City's Crime Night!" she turned to her rival and glared daggers at him, silently accusing him of being responsible for this.

"Oh yeah," he smiled. "It would be next week by the calendar, but there's that holiday coming up and it was gonna clash with lots of people's plans. So we decided to anticipate Crime Night, just this time," he shrugged.

"I'm not interested in your holiday plans," Cuervo growled, feeling like he was mocking her. "But I guess this isn't so bad. I've been waiting to kick your butt," she smirked and fired her lasers.

El Tigre quickly dodged them and landed on the museum's roof. "Wow, slow down chica, no need to get so angry," he jumped backwards, avoiding another blast. "'Sides, you know you don't have to wait. I'm always up for a fight if it's you, Cuervita. Anywhere, anytime," he clicked his tongue and he winked as he snapped his fingers and pointed finger guns at her.

The flirty but stupid gestures just aggravated Cuervo further. She fired at her enemy, who yelped and ducked, narrowly avoiding being blasted by the angry heroine. Not letting the feline-themed villain recover, Cuervo swiftly kicked him in the stomach then punched him, making him let go of the stolen statue. The villain landed on his back with a pained " _oof_ ".

Cuervo grabbed the artifact with one hand and aimed at El Tigre with the other. "It's over, El Tigre. Surrender now."

El Tigre brought both hands in surrender. "You got me, you got me. But if I may say something-" El Tigre suddenly let out a roar loud enough to shatter the windows from the surrounding buildings. Cuervo covered her ear with her free hand in instinct. Before she could recover, his parents, the villainous Plata Poderosa and Black Pantera came swooping in and grabbed their son.

"You won this round, Cuervo, but next time it will be me. Until theeen-" she heard El Tigre taunt her as he and his family escaped.

Cuervo sighed and looked at the statue in her hands. They got away, but at least she managed to secure the Sapphire Mule of Wisdom.

She hurried and returned the statue to the museum, before flying into the chaos once again.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

 

The next morning, Zoe walked to school. She suppressed a yawn as she opened her locker. Last night, thanks to all those villains striking all at once, she really didn't get as much sleep as she would've liked. Ditto for all her hero friends and her family.

Zoe sighed. Her friends hadn't been much happier either, but there wasn't much they could've done to prevent it. At least the night wasn't a total disaster. They managed to apprehend a good numbers of crooks and supervillains, even if more than a few managed to escape.

_Cuervo looked at her surroundings. Everything was a mess due to all the fights._

_"Hey, Zoe. Rough night, huh?" Miss Capelli approached her._

_Cuervo groaned. "Tell me about it." She looked around. "Where's Billy?"_

_"He's talking to Grandpa," Miss Capelli pointed behind her._

_Cuervo looked over her friend's shoulder to see Cactus Kid talking to the stern chief of the Miracle City Police Department, Chief Baffi. Cuervo raised an eyebrow- the boy seemed to be holding well on his own, considering how intimidating Sofia's grandfather could be._

_The black-haired heroine turned to her friend. "How did things go?"_

_"Oh, it was wonderful!" Miss Capelli gushed. "We were having such a great time together! Talking about crime and cacti vests, and I'm pretty sure my Billy-Winny was about to ask if I wanted to hang out," she squealed. "But then, all those villains had to **ruin**  it," her growled, her delighted smile quickly turning into a glare._

_"I... was asking about the villain situation," Cuervo muttered._

_"Oh," Miss Capelli's anger dissipated. "Eh, it went as well as it could have," she shrugged. "We managed to capture Meteor Medusa." She paused. "But Sombrero Plateado and The Demolisher escaped."_

_"Well, one out of three ain't bad," said a voice. Cactus Kid had just returned from talking with Chief Baffi._

_Miss Capelli perked up instantly. "So, what did Grandpa say?"_

_Cactus Kid sighed. "Well, the good news is, most crooks and some villains are already behind bars."_

_"And the bad news is...?" Cuervo asked._

_Cactus Kid continued. "The bad news is-"_

_"-many big-name supervillains escaped with their stolen goods- many of which were priceless artifacts, paintings or jewels."_

_The three heroes turned towards the new voice. Walking towards them were Django, Dr. Chipotle, Señor Justicero and Che._

_"I take it you guys didn't fare much better either, huh?" Cuervo muttered upon seeing their faces._

_Dr. Chipotle scowled. "Sumo Cibernético managed to escape- I successfully retrieved the Dragon-Worm Sword, however."_

_"And I took down one of the Maestros del Terror," Señor Justicero said. "But the other two escaped... with some of the loot," he admitted reluctantly. "Hey, it was three against one!" he exclaimed when he saw the look on his friends' faces._

_Che scoffed. "Speak for yourselves, I defeated the Vulture Twins- by the way Cuervo, you can still say bye to your boyfriend, they're taking him to jail now," he joked to the bird-themed heroine. Cuervo only growled in response._

_"We have to be more careful from now on," Django, who had been silent the entire conversation, finally spoke up. "Today is proof we're unprepared- we relied too much on a perceived predictability of the enemy and we paid for it."_

_Dr. Chipotle frowned. "Do you also think this was all planned- and not just a simple change of dates done on a whim?"_

_Django shrugged one shoulder. "It could be either- it's far too early to tell." He paused and frowned, mulling over his next words. "But it would be wise to be more alert from now on. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried after tonight's events... Not to mention that new villain that appeared recently."_

_"Oh, that big guy with the huge black armor, right?" asked Miss Capelli._

_"He's been causing lot of trouble lately," commented Cactus Kid._

_"Nobody knows anything about him either," Che muttered._

_Señor Justicero frowned. "...You ran into him tonight or somethin', partner?" he asked._

_"...or something," Django grumbled, still obviously sour about the villain escaping._

_"I think it's no use worrying it over too much," Cuervo piped in. "What happened, happened. We'll catch those guys sooner or later. For now the best we can do is rest and keep an eye open," mutters of agreement came from the other heroes. After goodbyes were said, each of the young heroes went their separate ways to their homes. Tonight's failure weighed heavily in their minds and a good night of sleep was all they wanted._

Zoe frowned. She had meant what she said back then to her friends, but she still had a hard time sleeping last night. Her losses against El Tigre, her friends' stories, the small possibility of the villains colluding and planning something against the heroes and Miracle City... All those thoughts, and more, kept her awake at night, making her toss and turn until she blacked out from exhaustion.

She scowled. She swore, next time she saw another one of those stupid villains, be it Black Horse, El Tigre or even the new guy, she would beat the answers out of them-

The black-haired girl landed on her butt and her book fell to the ground. She rubbed her head. "Hey, look where you're going, you-" she started to yell at whoever had bumped into her, but noticed the hand in front of her.

"Oh, sorry, dude, I didn't- oh, hey, it's you! Zoe, right?" the blue-haired girl who had bumped into her said, offering her a hand to help her up. Zoe took the hand, standing up and dusting off her clothes.

"Yeah, yeah," Zoe grumbled. "Just watch where you're going next time," she said, grabbing her book. She paused and looked at the blue-haired girl. "How do you know my name? Have we met?" she asked.

"Well, you're kinda famous around school," the strange girl laughed. "Being La Cuervo and all? Part of the Flock of Justice and the new generation of Miracle City's heroes? Kinda hard not to know who you are," she shrugged and smiled good-naturedly. "I think we have the same science class? Oh, I'm Frida, by the way. Frida Suárez," she pointed at herself. 'Nice to meet you," she stuck out her hand.

Zoe grabbed the blue-haired girl's hand and shook it. "Zoe Aves. But you already knew that."

Frida chuckled. "Well, nice talking to you, Zoe, but I gotta go. If I'm late for class again, Vice-Principal Chackal is gonna put my head on a plate and serve it to his dogs," she joked. "See ya around!" she waved as she started to walk in the opposite direction.

Zoe looked at the girl's retreating form for a few seconds, before continuing her way to her own class.

Frida Suárez... she knew she'd heard that name before. She also had blue-hair... 'Ah, yes,' Zoe remembered. She'd heard about her from some of the guys. Zoe suspected they might have small crush on the blue-haired girl- from the way they'd talked about her before. 'Well,' thought Zoe, from the looks of it, she seemed to be a nice person, if only a bit too cheery.

Zoe decided then and there, that she would learn more about the girl and their relationship with her... so she could tease them merciless about it! Finally, revenge for all that teasing about her and that one Vulture Twin, her and El Tigre, her and-

"Hey, Zoe."

The black-haired girl jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand land on her shoulder. She turned around and her eyes widened. There he was-

Manny Rivera.

"How you doin'?" the curly-haired boy smiled at her.

Zoe blushed. She was so out of it today. "H-hey, Manny.." she gave him a small smiled and waved.

Manny Rivera was one of her classmates and possibly the coolest guy she ever met. He was cute, he was funny, he was sweet and his curly hair and freckles just added to his boyish charm. He could be a bit weird sometimes, but honestly, who wasn't a little odd in Miracle City?

His family was pretty nice too. His father, Rodolfo Rivera, was an upstanding, hard-working man and his mother, Maria Rivera, was the sweet and intelligent school librarian.

Zoe would never admit it out loud, but... she actually had a tiny little crush on him.

"Oh," she said, recovering from her momentary shyness. "I read the book your mother reccommended to me- it's pretty great," she held up the book she'd been carrying with her. "I don't know if I'll have time to pass by the library today so, could you take it to the library for me?"

"Oh, sure, no prob," he took the book from her. "But you own me one now, Zoe," he teased. "If you're free later today, you can buy me a churro for my noble services, or something," he smiled at her.

Zoe giggled behing her hand before giving him a mock punch in the shoulder. "Haha, very funny, you. Fine, I'll buy you a churro or something. My hero," she joked back.

Manny chuckled under his breath. "Hero, huh?" he muttered. "Hey, speaking of which, I heard you and the others heroes had some trouble yesterday."

Zoe frowned. "Ugh, don't remind me," she pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'll tell you later, Manny. For now, I would just like to take my mind off it and relax a little," she told him when she noticed his inquisitive gaze.

"At school," he laughed and raised an eyebrow.

Zoe rolled her eyes but smiled. "Yeah, yeah." She looked at her wristwatch. "Oh, no, look at the time! I'm gonna be late! Uh, see you later Manny, bye!" Zoe waved Manny goodbye and quickly scurried to her class.

Manny smiled at the girl as he watched her run until she was out of sight, before calmly walking to the library.

Today was going to be fun.

He couldn't wait to hear Cuervita tell him all about last night, he mentally laughed as he stopped by his locker. He opened it and put away Zoe's book.

Inside, was the Golden León statue. Manny snickered once more.

He just couldn't wait.


	9. Beta (Familia Atomica AU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the story of Manny Rivera, son of the heroic White Pantera and the villainous Puma Loco. Together, they fight good and evil with their super-awesome, super-macho Luchador Robot! Oh, and Frida's there too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera is copyrighted by Nick, Mexopolis and its creators Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua. Any referenced works are owned by their respective creators.

"Absolutely not!"

"Aw, c'mon, Dad... why not?"

"You're too young, mijo!"

"Your father's right, Manny. When you old enough, then you can fight heroes on your own-"

"Or villains!"

"-And maybe pilot the head."

"Aw, you too, Grandpapi?"

"Now mijo, we're only looking out for you. Go and clean up your room, while Papi and I prepare lunch, okay?"

"Okayyy..."

Manuel Pablo Gutierrez O'Brian Equihua Rivera was not a happy camper. The young boy dragged his feet, hoping to drag out the walk to his messy room as much as he could.

He pouted, it just wasn't fair! Why couldn't he at least go with them to watch the action? He could help! Sure, he hadn't learned how to control the robot all that well yet, but he could still help them!

Manny grumbled as he entered his room. He wasn't a baby anymore, why couldn't Dad and Grandpapi see that? Manny sighed as he put away the many comic books sprawled in his bed back in the box. The heroes and villains were so cool in the comic books, Manny loved reading them over and over again. He dreamed of the day he would become a super-macho hero like his Dad or a super-cool villain like his Granpapi. He hadn't decided it yet.

Manny looked down. He had stepped on his precious Zebra Donkey outfit. It was a gift Dad, Mom and Grandpapi had put together for him and Manny still loved it, despite being too big for it now. He picked it up and tossed into his box with the rest of the stuff.

He was bored now. There would still be at least half an hour before lunch was ready and Manny didn't feel like reading one of his comic books or playing videogames.

He would call Davi and Toshiro, but the latter was out of town, visiting his family in Shogun City, and the former was having a special visit from his cousins today.

Manny looked at the ceiling. Who else was there...?

Oh yeah, Frida was here today, wasn't she? She said she would make some upgrades on the Super Macho Fighter X today. Frida was always really fun to hang around with, he'd look for her! She was probably in 'her room' as usual.

Manny ran out of his bedroom and towards a room in the end of the hallway. He slowly opened the door and peeked inside. Where was she...?

Manny entered the room and started looking around. The room was kinda of a mess, full of blueprints, spare parts and books all scattered around. Manny then spotted Frida working on one of the computers.

"Hi, Frida! Watcha doing?" he greeted.

Frida jumped a little in her seat- apparently, she hadn't seen him enter the room. "Hey, Manny! How're you, little buddy?" She gestured to the computer, "I'm just running some tests before I do the upgrades I promised. You guys are gonna love it, I swear! There's this sweet- no, no, I can't tell, it's a surprise, I can't tell."

"Aww... please? You can tell me, I won't spoil things for Dad and Grandpapi!"

Frida smiled, "No can do, little dude. Now, whatcha doing here?"

"I'm bored."

"Bored, huh?" Frida rubbed her chin. "Come here, let me show you something," she stood up and motioned for Manny to follow her.

The blue-haired mechanic and the young Rivera walked towards a large metal table. Manny stood on his tip-toes to take a better look at it. Peering from the edge, Manny could see many small objects covered with small white rags and a few spare parts lying around.

"What you see here Manny, is some of the stuff I work on whenever I'm bored or when I'm frustrated." Frida removed one of the white rags, revealing a red guitar, "This is one of my pet projects- I haven't finished it yet, but when I do, it's gonna be a super-awesome weapon-slash-giant robot control."

She then moved to another object. "This is one of my favorites," she removed the sheet covering it, revealing a tiny robot. "It's-! Here, let me show you," Frida grabbed a small remote and pressed the red button. The robot began to shake and make noises. Manny stared at it do nothing but twitch for a full minute, before a  _ding!_  sound came from it and the robot went still.

The tiny robot opened his chest, revealing a hidden compartment. Inside, to Manny's surprise, was a churro, Frida's favorite treat.

Manny turned to the older girl. "It's a churro-making robot?"

"Correction- it's a snack-making robot!" Frida exclaimed. "You just have to adjust the controls here," she showed him the remote, "like this for example!" she pushed a different button. The robot went through the same motions from before, but this time, it made guacamole- chips included! "And then, it'll make whatever you want!"

"Well," she paused. "Whatever you want that's also on the remote. The little dude can't do what he ain't programmed to do," she shrugged.

"Coool," Manny said. He tried to sneak out one of the treats but Frida smacked his hand. "Ow!" he rubbed his hand and glared at his friend.

"Ah-ah-ah," she wagged her finger at him. "It's almost time for lunch. Don't wanna spoil your appetite now, do we?"

Manny pouted but nodded. Frida was right.

"Now, last, but not least," she removed a third white cloth. "Ta-dah!" Another tiny robot and a headband were revealed to him.

"Uh... you made a hair accessory to go with the robot?" Manny raised an eyebrow. Compared to the other two inventions, this one seemed lame.

"No," she drawled. "They match because that's cute, but no, that's it's for." She grabbed the headband, "This is no mere headband, my friend. This is the future!" Frida looked at her friend only to find Manny still unconvinced. She sighed. "Here, let me show you," she put the headband on his head, ignoring his protests of how wearing headbands was lame, and pressed a blue button on the robot. The robot's eyes lightened up.

"Now, Manny, can you lift your left arm, please?"

Manny, who was still pounting about the headband, glared at her, but decided to obey nonetheless. He was still curious as to what the robot did, even if he did look lame.

Manny's eyes widened when he saw the robot copy his movements. He looked back at Frida, who had an amused, smug smile on her face. Seeing the question in his eyes, the blue-haired mechanic simply nodded at him.

Manny turned back to the robot and moved once more. A wave with his right arm, a kick with his left leg, a punch in the air, the little robot imitated each and every one of his movements, much to the boy's delight. "This is awesome!" Manny was grinning ear-to-ear.

Frida laughed at the silly poses and movements Manny made the robot do. She was glad he'd liked her inventions so much. "So, what do you think, dude?"

"This is awesome, Frida! It's so much fun!" Manny laughed as he made the little robot do a silly dance. He then turned to his friend. "Can I have him? Pleeeease?" the boy clasped his hands in front of him and pouted, batting his eyes at the older girl.

The blue-haired girl laughed at the boy's antics. "Spare me the puppy dog eyes, dude. You can have it, it's all yours."

"Really?!" Manny beamed. Frida just nodded and motioned him to take his present. "Si!" the boy grabbed the robot and put him on the ground- he wanted to see what more stuff he could make the robot do.

"Just be careful, Manny," Frida warned her friend, who started to run left and right around her room, "you don't wanna overload the little guy too much. It's still a prototype, after all."

"Yeah, no overloading, got it," he said as he did a series of jumps, the robot following in tow.

Frida just shook her head, an amused smile on her face. Deciding to leave the boy to have his fun for the moment, she went back to her computer, so she could continue her work.

Both were so engrossed in their respective activities, they almost didn't hear Rodolfo's annoucement.

"Everyone! Lunch is ready!"

Manny and Frida looked up upon hearing the man's voice. Frida turned to Manny, "What do you say we pause a little, leave this stuff here and grab some food, little dude?"

Manny's stomach rumbled. He nodded and took off the headband, leaving it beside the robot.

* * *

 

Manny and Frida entered the kitchen, welcomed by the delicious smell of Rodolfo's homemade cooking.

"Hmm-hm," Frida licked her lips. "This smell delicious, Mr. Rivera!"

The masked-hero, still clad in his apron, gloves and chef hat, put the platter on the table. "Thank you, Frida," he smiled. "Oy, Papi, come here help me serve the plates!"

"Si, si, I know," the elderly villain shut the refrigerator's door, having just put away the dessert. He and his son set the rest of the table.

"So Frida," Rodolfo started once everyone was seated. "How is your work coming along?"

"Eh, you know, the usual tinker with this, mess with that," Frida said between bites. "The new updates I have in mind are pure awesomeness, dude, you guys will love it!"

"That what you said last week," Grandpapi pointed his fork in her direction. "Why you taking so long? Back in my day, when we had to upgrade our weapons, we did it in a second!...By stealing from the other guys!" he finished with a robust, loud evil laugh, before breaking into a fit of coughs.

"Papi, what did I tell you? No evil laughs at the table!" Rodolfo scolded, lightly patting his evil father on the back.

Frida passed Grandpapi a glass of water, "Well, maybe if  _some_  people didn't keep wrecking my baby, I could spend less time fixing the damage, and more time on awesome stuff," she glared pointedly at the Riveras.

Grandpapi returned the look. He opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by a loud blaring alarm.

All four looked up at the glaring red light. Something must be causing running wravok in the city again!

A loud roar caused them to look out the window. The four gasped. Two gigantic red monsters were tearing apart many buildings and throwing them at each other with their tentacles.

"The Alebrije Monsters!" Manny exclaimed.

"Dude, look at all that fire! Never seen those two so pissed before, what gives?" said Frida.

"It matters not what their mood is! It is our duty to stop them!" Rodolfo shook his fist. He pressed his wristwatch, activating his own mechanical suit. "White Pantera!" he shouted, striking a heroic and epic pose. "Now, you two stay here. Be good!" he told Manny and Frida before flying out of the room, leaving a hole in the wall.

"What 'our' duty? I'm not helping with hero stuff," Grandpapi crossed his arms and turned away. He looked at the window again out of the corner of his eyes. A building one of the Alebrije Monters crushed caught his attention.

Grandpapi let out an offended gasp. "They just tore apart the lightbulb store! I was gonna steal that tomorrow!" he exclaimed, enraged. "I need some for my lampshade," he calmly explained to a confused Manny and Frida. He then pressed his wristwatch, much like Rodolfo had done earlier, and activated his mechanical suit. "Puma Loco!" he also striked an epic pose before crashing through the wall, leaving another hole, just beside the one his son had left.

"Every time! Can't they just use the windows?" Frida looked at the two holes in the wall. "Right, Manny-" Frida turned to the boy when she noticed he was trying to crawl out off one of the windows to go outside. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait there, little dude," she quickly grabbed him by the back of his shirt and pulled him away. "Ya know I can't let you do that, it's too dangerous!"

"C'mon, Frida! I gotta help them! I have to prove I'm old and macho enough to take on those stupid monsters!" Manny wiggled back and forth, trying to free himself from Frida's grasp.

Frida raised an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "Yeah... how are you gonna do that? You don't have a suit of your own-"

"Because you didn't make me one!" Manny interrupted.

"Your family wouldn't let me, and I gotta respect that," Frida quickly retorted. "And you don't know how to control the Super Macho Fighter X yet," she said.

"It has so many buttons!" he whined. "How am I supposed to remember all that?" Manny tried to get free again, "C'mon, Frida, help me here! I just wanna make my family see I'm not just a goofy little kid anymore, I can help!"

Frida frowned in sympathy, she knew the feeling of wanting to make your family proud all too well. She opened her mouth to comfort her friend, when the monsters' roars made her and Manny look out the window.

White Pantera and Puma Loco were struggling against the enraged Alejibre Monsters. Apparently, the beasts learned a thing or two from previous battles, as they effortlessly worked together against the father-son duo.

The two Riveras were having a hard time defeating the two monsters. White Pantera struggled to divide his attention between the falling debris and damage around the city, ensuring the citizens were safe, and the attacks from his enemies. Meanwhile, Puma Loco, although focusing more on attacking the Alebrije Monsters, also had to cover for his son while he rescued people from falling buildings or got innocent citizens out of the way.

"Well, wished granted dude, those two are in deeep trouble," Frida deadpanned.

"We have to help them! Let's go, Frida!" Manny uselessly kicked at air to run towards the window, apparently having forgotten Frida was still holding him by the back of his shirt.

"Yeah, I got a better idea, dude. Come here," Frida dragged Manny to the living room. She pressed a button hidden in one of the paintings.

"Frida, what are you-" Manny began to protest, before the ground suddenly opened. He screamed as he and Frida fell down the hole. He screamed, screamed and screamed, dreading the moment they'd hit the hard ground.

"Manny-"

Manny continued screaming.

"Manny!"

The young Rivera shut up at Frida's shout and looked at her.

"We're already here."

"Oh," Manny looked down. When had they reached the ground? He poked the pillow below him, glad that it broke his fall. He finally looked up and gaped at the sight. They were... They were...!

"Yup," Frida smirked when she saw Manny's reaction. "We're on Super Macho Fighter X's main control room."

Manny frowned when he remembered the argument from earlier. "But you said-"

"I said you don't know how to control it," Frida's fingers flew along the keyboard, it was time to test a little something. "And it's true," she pressed her wristwatch, making a box pop out of the ground, just beside her feet. "But you don't need to know with these," she showed him a familiar headband with four wristbands to match.

Manny immediately recognized them. "Wait, are those-"

"The same as the one I gave you? Yeah, kinda," she placed the headband on his head and snapped wristbands on his wrists and ankles. "I told you they were the future, dude. This is just a prototype though, so you can only move the robot, no lasers, special attacks or anything like that." Manny let out a disappointed whine. "There's a chance you'll also feel a little tired after this. And maybe a little shock or two." Manny's body shuddered as a small current of eletricity passed through his muscles. "I'll be here helping you the whole way, firing attacks at the Alebrije Monsters when we're close enough. We gotta work together, alright?" Manny nodded with a determined smile on his face.

"Let's do this."

* * *

 

Things were not looking good.

White Pantera kicked through another incoming debris, shattering it into tiny pieces. "There's no end to this! We have to stop them before Miracle City is in ruins!"

"Like it is every two months?" Puma Loco snarked as he fired his missiles at one of the monsters, but the beast swatted at them away. The Alebrije Monster didn't notice the second batch of missiles and let out an ear-shattering screech. The giant monster quickly recovered from the attack and enraged at the old villain's attack, he quickly snatched one of Puma Loco's battle suit's claw and threw him towards its partner. The other Alebrije Monster started to crush him with his tentacles.

"Papi!" White Pantera yelled in worry. He went for the beast that had his father with one of his famous kicks, but the first Alebrije Monster quickly grabbed him by the leg and started crushing him as well.

All seemed hopeless, when suddenly-

_BAM!_

"Hey, ugly and uglier, get away from my family!"

White Pantera and Puma Loco found themselves free from the beasts' deadly hold. They looked up and were shocked to see their family robot, the Super Macho Fighter X, standing there. The robot had just fired at the monsters with one of its lasers, causing them to release White Pantera and Puma Loco.

"Dad! Grandpapi! Are you alright?!"

White Pantera and Puma Loco looked at each other before turning to the giant robot. They recognized that voice! "Manny?!"

The battle robot gave them a friendly wave, confirming their fears. They looked at each other once again, aghast, before yelling at the robot. "FRIDA!"

This time, a feminine voice came out of the robot. "Hi to you guys too. Don't worry, I'm here with Manny. We got this."

Super Macho Fighter X quickly assumed an epic pose before it bolted towards one of the monsters. The Alebrije Monster attacked Super Macho with its tentacles, but the robot quickly snatched them before they landed a hit and electrified the monster. Super Macho Fighter X quickly swung the beast around before throwing it at the other Alebrije Monster. The impact made both Alebrije Monsters disoriented. One of them tried to look up only to see the fighting robot approaching them. The giant robot mimicked cracking its knuckles, making the Alebrije Monsters gulp in fear.

Super Macho Fighter X delivered a series of combos and melee attacks, not letting the two beasts recover for a second. Once the two Alebrije Monsters were down for good, Super Macho Fighter X tied them together with a few fallen lamp poles and sent them flying, far away from Miracle City. The robot mimicked dusting off his hands and striked a victorious pose. "And that's how you do it!"

"A-hem!"

The robot looked down and saw White Pantera and Puma Loco looking back at it. They had their arms crossed and impatient looks on their faces.

"Oh, sorry, dudes," Frida's voice came out of the robot this time. "I'll beam you guys up." She pressed a button and teleported them inside the robot.

Manny ran towards his father and grandfather when they appeared in the control room. "Dad! Grandpapi!"

White Pantera and Puma Loco received the boy with open arms and enveloped him in a tight hug. "Manny!"

The two older Riveras then put him on the ground. "What were you thinking, mijo?! That was extremely reckless and dangerous! What if you got hurt?!" Rodolfo exclaimed. Grandpapi nodded in agreement.

"But Dad, nothing happened! I totally kicked those monsters' butts!" Manny tried to defend himself. "And Frida was with me the whole time! I'm not a little kid anymore! I'm a Rivera! Why can't you guys let me fight too?!"

"It's our job to keep you safe, mijo!" Rodolfo frowned. He and Grandpapi exchanged glances and smiled. "But... you did save me and your Grandpapi. Maybe it's time we let you fight your own battles..."

"Yeah!" Manny cheered.

"With proper supervision!" Rodolfo added with a strict tone.

"Awww..." Manny quickly deflated.

"You can count on me, dudes," Frida jokingly saluted as Rodolfo and Grandpapi nodded at her.

Rodolfo smiled at his son. "But worry not, mijo. You're still young, there's plenty of time for you to prepare until you're ready to fight by yourself. I know that someday, you'll be a great hero," the masked man finished with pride.

Grandpapi glared at his son and countered, "A great villain, you mean."

Rodolfo turned to his father and returned the glare. "No, he'll be a hero!"

"Villain!"

"Hero!"

Manny walked towards Frida as the two older Riveras argued back and forth. The blue-haired girl watched the two with amusement. "So," she turned to Manny, "now that your family's letting you fight, what are you gonna be?"

"Eh, dunno," Manny shrugged. "Guess I'll just be me for now."

"Heh, I figured," Frida smiled. "Say, if your dad and grandpa agree, I can start working on a mech suit of your own."

Manny gasped. "Really?! Awesome!"

"Yup," Frida nodded. "So, I'm thinking," she brought up a pencil and a paper, "something to match your family's feline theme. Any ideas?"

Manny thought for a bit. He beamed as the perfect animal came to mind. "Oh, I know, I know! A tiger?"

"Tiger, huh?" Frida tapped her chin with her pencil. She started to sketch a quick rendition of her new project's prototype. "There we go." She showed Manny a sketch of a mechanical suit with claws, a tiger tail and ears and a red bandana. "Here's the general idea, what do you think?"

Manny grinned. "This is gonna be awesome!"

Frida smiled. "I need something to identify this project. What are you gonna call yourself?"

Manny smiled back. He had the perfect name already.

"Call me... El Tigre."


	10. World Clash (Rule 63 AU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was like looking into a mirror... if mirrors could show him a girl version of himself and talk back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera is copyrighted by Nick, Mexopolis and its creators Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua. Any referenced works are owned by their respective creators.

It was like looking into a mirror.

If mirrors could show him what he'd look like as a girl, that is.

She looked as if she could be his twin. Same face, same scar, same El Tigre belt. The only noticeable differences were her long hair and feminine features, her facial structure resembling his (theirs?) mother's even more than his own did.

Manny and his counterpart blinked. He tentatively raised his arm and waved at his female look-alike who mimicked the gesture.

"Wow…"

The identical, simultaneous reactions took them both by surprise. This was just too weird and honestly, a little uncomfortable.

Manny stuffed his hands in his pockets and his counterpart rubbed her arms as they both looked away, a few nervous chuckles escaping both sides.

"So, um…" Manny looked at his counterpart, "don't get me wrong but… have I seen you somewhere before?"

Manny blinked at the girl's sly grin. "Really?" he laughed and mimicked shoving her by the shoulder, his movements light and playful. "That was  _terrible_."

"Yeah, but it worked didn't it?" the girl snickered. "Nice to meet you, I'm Manuela Pablo Gutierrez O'Brian Equihua Rivera. But you can call me Mani."

"Man, it's so weird to hear that," Manny muttered. "Um, yeah, nice to meet you to. Name's the same. Well, almost the same- I'm Manuel. Manny, for short."

"So… How'd you guys end up here?" Manny asked.

"Dunno," Mani shrugged. Manny raised an eyebrow. "I… don't remember how it happened. We did hit our heads pretty hard when we landed- well, crashed- through the floor, you know?"

"You think any of your enemies did this?"

"Maybe…" Mani tapped her chin. "Maybe Dr. Jalapeño? Or one of the bag of bones… Oh, if I could just-"

 _BAM_!

"Haha, good one dude! Or should I say, me? Eh, who cares, me-five!"

Manny and Mani turned and saw their blue-haired best friends high-fiving.

Apparently they weren't the only ones getting acquainted.

"This. Is. Awesome! It's like you're the brother I've never had! Now I kind get the whole 'twin' appeal, you know? Just without the creepy completing each other's sentence and sharing one brain stuff and being a-hundred-percent more awesome instead!" Frida screamed in excitement as she hurled another piece a junk at her counterpart who batted it away.

"I know, right? Hey, let's pass by your- our?- your place after this and give the twinzoids a scare!" the blue-haired boy said. A loud crash followed soon after. "Alright! Hit the unsuspecting weird smelly man near the window! 20 points! Whoo-hoo!" Frida high-fived him again.

Mani sighed and rubbed her temples, "Of course."

"KHALO!"

Khalo turned to see his best friend glaring at him, fists on her hips and foot tapping. He smiled. "Hey, Mani. You wanna join us for a game of-"

" ** _No_** _!_ " Mani yelled. "We need to figure out how we can get back home, Khalo! Who knows what those jerks back home are up to now that we're gone? Or worse! What if we're stuck here forever?!"

"Oh, relax, Mani, it's fine. What can any those bozos do anyway?" Khalo shrugged.

"Uh, nothing much, I guess, except, maybe  ** _CONQUER MIRACLE CITY AND DESTROY EVERYTHING WE LOVE AND KNOW_**!" Mani glared at him.

"Conquer it?  _Pfft_ ,  _please_. They ain't getting anywhere with that. They'd sooner sabotage each other first- villains don't know the meaning of teamwork, remember?"

Mani frowned. Khalo was being way too laid-back about this. "Well, yeah, but what about-"

"They've only worked together so they could get rid of you, and when that was done? Backstabbing. From aaaaall sides."

"'Sides," Khalo leaned on his wooden bat, "there's like your mom, your grandmami would prolly help, my mom and a bunch of other heroes." He paused and took his bat off the ground to rest it on his shoulder. "See? No need to worry. There's time, we've got help,  _it's fine_."

"Yeah, but how much?" Mani muttered under her breath.

"Hey, hey, hey, what did we talk about muttering and being a party-pooper?"

Manny and Frida just sat back and watched their counterparts argue.

"Wow, girl-you is really bad at handling stress," Frida whispered to Manny. She gasped. "Just. Like. Yooou," she pointed at him.

Manny glared at his friend's amused grin. "And  _boy-you_  is too laid-back, even with super-important stuff. Oh yeah, just like  _you_ ," he whispered back while pointing at her.

"Geez, somebody woke from the side of the bed today," Frida muttered under her breath. Given Manny's annoyed stare, he'd heard it too. Frida rolled her eyes and smiled. "But if you mean, you two are too cool to panic and junk even with super-important stuff, yeah dude, totally agree."

Manny rolled his eyes and focused his attention back to Mani and Khalo, whose argument apparently evolved into a discussion about… churros?

"ENOUGH!"

Mani and Khalo stopped arguing and looked back at a very irritated Manny in shock.

"We're getting nowhere with this! Do you guys wants to get back to  _your_  Miracle City or not?!"

"Well, yeah, I mean-"

"Then stop wasting our time so we can find a way to send you guys back. Now tell us- how did you end up here?"

"I told you already, Manny, we don't remember anything!" Mani exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's all blank, dude." Khalo paused. He scratched his chin in thought. "But now that I think about it, I kinda do remember- there was this flash, a green light? Yeah, I remember a bright green light before we landed here."

Mani nodded. "Now that Khalo said it, so do I."

"Wait, didn't you say you thought one of your villains could've done it?" Frida asked. "Maybe we could search their hideouts and see if with can find anything. I mean, if your versions of those guys had… whatever made you guys end up here, why not ours too?"

"It's a start," Manny said.

Khalo raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that? I mean, as far as suspects can go, there's a looooot of villains. Can you handle that without getting your butt kicked?"

"You're forgetting one thing. There isn't just one of me anymore," he turned to Mani, "Right… partner?"

Mani grinned. "Let's do this!"

Manny and Mani grabbed their respective belts and spun the buckles, turning into…

_ROAR_

"EL TIGRE!"

"LA TIGRESSA!"

"Show offs," Frida and Khalo muttered.

"Now… let's catch your ticket home," El Tigre jumped and activated his grappling claws, swinging from place to place. La Tigressa soon followed suit.

"Hey, HEY! Wait for us!" Frida yelled after them. She sighed when it was clear they were too far already too hear them. "Every time," she and Khalo muttered in unison.

Frida punched her male counterpart in the shoulder. "C'mon, dude. We also got a job to do. Can't let those two show-offs get all the fun."

Khalo grinned. "You said it, sister. But first," he reached into his pocket, "Churros!"

Frida gasped.

"Dude… get out of my mind!"

Frida and Khalo toasted with their churros before running in the direction their superpowered friends went, yelling a loud, "WAIT UP!"


	11. Wonders Under the Grave (Tres Amigos AU)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Manny wanted was for his two friends to get along. Django and Frida don't seem so willing to cooperate, however.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera is copyrighted by Nick, Mexopolis and its creators Jorge R. Gutierrez and Sandra Equihua. Any referenced works are owned by their respective creators.

The streets were dead quiet.

It was a rare calm, silent night in Miracle City. There were no criminals breaking into houses, no villains robbing banks or museums, no heroes stopping said villains and criminals. No soul could be seen or heard walking to feel the cold embrace of the night, the fog hiding the city under its blanket, the quietness deafening any sound.

Except, unknown to the slumbering citizens of Miracle City, for the two silhouettes within the cemetery, hidden behind the fog…

Near the very same cemetery, the ground started to tremble. The tremors escalated with frightening speed and the ground started to crack, a bright light peeking from below.

The two intruders, a curly-haired boy with a scar on his left eye and a blue-haired girl with bright red googles, held onto the nearest objects with all their might, afraid they would fall onto the cracks leading to the unknown.

The ground trembled more violently than ever, before it burst open, the scorching wall momentarily blinding the two youths with its bright, hot flames, as if announcing the horrors of the Underworld itself, and with it, its messenger.

Peeking from covered eyes, the two teenagers dared to gaze upon the mysterious figure coming from the flames, unscathed, for as they soon came to realize, it had no skin nor flesh to be burnt… only two blood eyes and a fiendish smile, announcing just what it had come for…

"Hey! Sick entrance, dude!"

Manny jogged up to the walking skeleton and gave him a five-high. Django returned the friendly gesture. "Well, obviously, Rivera. Look who you're talking to," he smirked.

"Yeah, yeah. You know, it kinda loses its charm after the third time or whatever," Frida approached the two with her arms crossed.

"Well, my apologies, Miss Suárez, I'll be sure to come up with something that'll  _blow you away_  next time."

Frida glared at the undead villain. "That had better been sarcasm if you know what's best for you, dude." Django simply chuckled in response.

"Alright, alright, knock it off you two," Manny got in between his two friends before it could escalate into something worse. "Let's not fight when Django just got here. We've got stuff to do."

"Fine," Frida grunted and looked to the side while Django shrugged.

"So," Frida turned to the two boys after a pause, "what did you have in mind?"

"Oh, that, Suárez, is a surprise," Django smiled and walked past the two. "Come with me."

Frida looked at Manny with an eyebrow raised to which the brown-haired boy could only respond with a shrug. Manny and Frida followed the undead villain, staying a few steps behind.

"I can't believe we're still hanging out with him," Frida whispered harshly to her best friend. "I mean, I thought this was a, I dunno, like a one-time thing! You didn't even grab his Mystic Guitar like I said you should!"

"Cut it out, Frida," Manny frowned at the girl's mean-spirited stubbornness. "Django's cool, and he's our friend now, I'm not gonna steal his guitar or anything."

"First off,  _'our'_  friend? Making a  _looot_  of assumptions there, dude. And second, dude's manipulated you and tried to kill us, your family, and pretty much all of the villains of Miracle City with lava. And I'm lava intolerant, Manny,  _lava intolerant_!"

"Oh, c'mon, Frida, he apologized-"

"Two words, dude. La-va."

"And he  _apologized_  for it already- said he'd never had friends before and that he didn't want to throw this opportunity away. He regrets it, Frida."

"Oh, give me a break, Manny," Frida rolled her eyes. "You're just blinded by that whole 'cool dude who's got my back against a crowd of enemies' thing he did with you that you see in the movies. Plus, I  _know_  he promised he'd get you into the Salsa Club before you're 21."

Manny chuckled nervously at Frida's accusatory stare, rubbing the back of his neck. "Aw, c'mon, Frida, he'd get you in there too! We're all friends now, it's all good," he smiled.

Frida narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth, ready to correct her best friend again, but Manny would have none of it, "All. Good. Right, Frida?" Manny glared at her.

Frida blinked, and then pouted, before sighing. "Fine, fine, I'll give the bag of bones a chance. For you."

Manny smiled, "Thanks, Frida. Just wait and see, I'm sure you two will become good friends as well."

Frida scoffed, "Right."

The two friends' conversation came to a halt when they noticed Django standing in front of an old and dusty mausoleum.

"What's this? Are we gonna visit some relatives of yours or some junk?" Frida walked up to him. "Are  _you_  buried there?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Frida!" Manny scolded her.

Django snorted. "No, Suárez, it's something much simpler." He walked towards the mausoleum and pushed the door. He motioned the other two to follow him as he entered.

Manny and Frida exchanged looks before following suit.

The inside of the mausoleum was bigger than it looked from outside. The place looked quite old, dust and spider webs spread throghout the walls and ceiling, giving it an abandoned feeling. The dark drawers constrasted well with the lighter walls and colums, but the most distinguished feature of the small building was the statue of a woman, placed in the depths of the mausoleum, facing the entrance.

Manny and Frida marveled at the eerily beautiful statue, the realistic but delicate, finely sculped features of what must've been a beautiful, snow-white marble in its prime, added to its haunting beauty, as if the statue would come to life at any given moment.

"Beautiful, no?"

The two friends flinched at the sudden noise. Django smiled and walked by them, until he reached the statue's side. He gently trailed a claw along the statue's lowered hand. "But that's not all it is," he grabbed the hand and twisted it, making the palm face the ceiling.

The mausoleum started to shake, before the ground started to sink. Manny and Frida took a few steps backwards, as a staircase revealed itself, leading somewhere below the mausoleum.

"Wow," chorused Manny and Frida. The blue-haired girl leaned forwards and squinted, trying to make out anything in the pitch-black darkness cloaking the stairs, "Where does it go?"

"Only one way to find out, no?" Django approached the two. "Here," he threw them two small flashlights, "You're gonna need those to get through the stairs."

"Wait a sec," Frida turned to him, "you want us to go down there? In the unknown and creepy darkness? With  _you_  guiding us?"

"You're free to stay here if you want, Suárez," Django took out his own flashlight and turned it on, "if you're too scared to come with us, that is."

Frida frowned at the backhanded insult and glared at the villain, "Let's do this, bag of bones."

The three teenagers started their descent, with Django leading the group and Manny in the further back, watching out if anyone or anything was following them.

The staircase seemed endless as the trio made their way further into the pitch black darkness, only the echoing sound of their own footsteps a testemony of life in the underground passage.

Time passed until they finally reached the end. Manny and Frida looked around, moving their flashlights to see where they were.

"So, um, what's the deal with this place? Because from what I see, there's nothing here," Frida turned to Django.

Manny nodded. "Yeah, man. I was expecting some cool underground graves or bones but..."

Django ignored the two as he turned off his flashlight. He then turned to the other two. "Now you two do the same."

Frida quirked a brow. "Say what?"

"I said- Turn. Off. Your flashlights."

"I heard you the first time, dude," Frida rolled her eyes. "What I'm asking is why?"

"Turn it off and you'll see."

Frida opened her mouth to retort, when Manny sent her a look. Frida paused, rolled her eyes and complied.

Complete darkness. Complete silence.

Seconds ticked by, impatience and anxiety starting to fill the two friends' minds. Frida was about to ask Django what was supposed to happen when a flash of colors stopped her.

Azure orbs widened in wonder.

Turning her head, Frida was faced with bright colors, moving and floating in the darkness.

A flat head, much bigger than its body, a snake's tail split into two, three eyes on each side, a jaw that threatened to split it in two.

Frida had never seen anything like it before.

A feathered lizard, a cat with bat wings and talons, a fish-tailed goat. Bright hues of red, orange, yellow, blue, green and purple shining, many curious patterns drawn on their bodies. More and more creatures danced and swam in the air, appearing and vanishing in a flash.

Frida stared in awe, jaw slacked open. Manny had a similar expression on his face. "Wow."

Django smirked at their reactions. He knew they'd like this place.

"What are they?" Manny asked without taking his eyes off the mysterious creatures.

"Alebrijes," Django answered, eyes following one of the creatures twirl in the air.

"Alebrijes?" Frida parroted, turning to him. "Like the Alebrije Monsters?" Django nodded. "But those guys are ... huge! And way different!"

Django shrugged. "That's what they are, though." He paused in thought. "As for the difference in size and appearance... well, not all animals are identical even within the same species are, they? I assume it's the same for those guys."

Frida turned back to the 'Alebrijes', "Huh." She slowly approached one, her hand reaching for the bright swirls of its wing.

Before she could touch the creature, fingertips close enough to graze it, a low, muffled rumble came from above, making the ceiling tremble.

The Alebrijes scattered in frightened haste, flashes of colors twirling and running through the darkness before they all followed in one direction and disappeared.

Frida flinched away and blinked at how fast the Alebrijes went away. "Where did they go?"

Django stared at the spot they disappeared into before shrugging. "Their home, I suppose. They're not from here after all." He turned on his flashlight and started walking towards the stairs, "Well, seems like fun's over, kiddos. Let's go back."

Frida and Manny followed suit. A silent travel back and few minutes later, they were back in the mausoleum.

"Well, that was fun," Manny turned to the other two and smiled. "Too bad those Alebrijes ran away so soon."

Frida snorted. "Tell me about it! I was about to touch one. Really wanted to ride on the back of one of them too," the blue-haired pouted then smiled. "But, yeah, it was pretty fun, I guess."

Django smiled, twisting the statue's hand back to its original position, "You're welcome." The ground shook and the entrance downstairs was closed, hidden once more.

Frida scoffed and Manny rolled his eyes good-naturedly. The three walked out of the mausoleum, and made their way through the graveyard, animatedly talking about the different Alebrijes they saw. Soon, they were back at the cemetery's front gates.

The curly-haired boy turned to his friends, "Well, I dunno about you guys, but I gotta go," he spun his belt buckle and with the usual flourish and roar he turned into El Tigre. He turned to Frida, "Wanna a ride back home, Frida?"

"Oh, sure, dude," Frida smiled at her friend. "Can we stop for a quick churro, though? I'm starving!"

El Tigre rolled his eyes, a smile on his face. Typical Frida. "Sure." He started walking away but stopped and turned back when he noticed his friend wasn't following him. "Uh, Frida?"

Frida was messing and turning the pockets of her bright red skirt, "Hang on, dude. I think I dropped some cash back there." She looked at Manny, "You can go ahead, dude. I'm just gonna look for my money."

El Tigre frowned. "You sure you don't want me to help you?"

"Yeah, yeah," Frida waved it off, motioning him to go on without her. "'Sides, Django can help me," she turned to the villain, "Right, Django?"

Django quirked a brow but nodded. "Sure."

Frida smiled, "Thanks." She turned back to her childhood friend, "Go on, dude," she told him, urging him to go, "I'll be with you in a second, I swear."

El Tigre raised both eyebrows at the new development. "O-kaay... guess I'll wait for you then..." he turned away and started making his way towards the nearest churro cart. He frowned, confused at Frida's sudden change in behavior. Not too long ago she was so hesitant about even being in Django's presence.

But El Tigre's suspicions were quickly put to rest as he recalled their previous conversation. Frida was probably just putting in some effort to befriend Django, or simply give him a chance, as she'd promised him she would.

His mind at ease, El Tigre smiled and picked up the pace.

* * *

 

Meanwhile, Frida and Django walked further back into the cemetery, both teenagers completely silent.

Django stopped in front of a grave, crossing his arms. "So, care to tell me what's the problem?" He asked once they were far away enough, with El Tigre out of earshot.

Frida turned to him, eyes half-lidded in an expression of disdain and annoyance. "What, didn't you come here to help me look for the money I lost?"

Django narrowed his eyes. "Don't think I don't know when you're being sarcastic, Suárez. I know you didn't lose any money." Frida only stared at him in silence, tilting her head to the side, her expression, unchanged. Django returned the stare, "I've only ever seen you take out money from those huge googles of yours,  _never_  from your pockets, not even once."

Frida glared at him. "You've known me for only a few weeks."

"...What can I say? I'm the observant sort."

"Yeah, I gathered that from when we first met," Frida crossed her arms. "Using the same tactic twice, though? Lame. Thought you were smarter than that."

"And we finally get to the elephant in the room!" Django scoffed. "Are you serious? Do you really think I'm still up to something?"

"...Considering last time you approached Manny like this, you pretended to be his friend and then backstabbed him and tried to kill everyone in the volcano with lava? Yeah, yeah I do."

Django slowly uncrossed his arms, his gaze never leaving the blue-haired girl. "...you know, this is starting to get really annoying. For the last time," he walked towards her, "I'm not, planning,  _anything_ ," Django stopped in front of the girl, their height difference and sudden closeness forcing Frida to look up, "And I suggest you stop pointing fingers,  _girl_ , because I may be friends with Manny now, but that doesn't really include you as of yet... and my patience has limits."

Frida frowned. "Good to know that we're on the same page," she stepped even closer to him, "'Cause I also have my limits and I don't trust you. It's gonna take more than monsters with pretty colors to convince me that you're not up to something and you can bet that I'm  _not_ ," she poked him in the chest, "letting you hurt Manny, you understand?"

Django glared at her, and the staring contest continued, neither part willing to break first and show weakness. Django narrowed his eyes... and promptly burst laughing. The undead villain leaned his head on a claw, and turned, getting more distance between him and the blue-haired girl.

Frida blinked at the sudden shift in mood and bristled, "What's so funny?!"

"Oh," Django wiped an invisible tear. "It's just...  _you_  threatening  _me_  and being protective over  _El Tigre_. And taking this oh-so-seriously. It's just... hilarious," he turned back to her and closed their distance again, "You're  _adorable_ ," he poked her cheek with his claw, a mocking smile on his face.

Frida scowled and slapped his hand away. Django chuckled. "Relax, Suárez, I'm not going planning anything against Manny. I just want to be friends. I swear," he put a hand up and the other in front of his chest. Frida scoffed and crossed her arms, unpleased with his mockery.

"You better be," Frida muttered. She walked past the villain and towards the front gate, Manny must've been wondering what was taking so long by now and she didn't want him to worry. She turned to Django one last time, "I'm still keeping my eye on you, Of The Dead." The blue-haired girl then continued her way, quickening her pace to meet with Manny. Django smirked at her warning and waved until she was out of his sight, disappearing into the fog.

Django's mocking expression slowly melted away, his face becoming much more serious once he was alone. He stood still for a few seconds before turning away, walking towards the opposite direction the other two went, a quiet, almost silent sigh escaping his mouth. He turned his head back, to where Manny and Frida last were, before he too disappeared into the fog, his glowing red eyes the last to be cloaked by the quiet night.


End file.
